Not Another High School Fanfic
by no dang name is available
Summary: They were once best friends. But an incident caused a rift. Years later, both of them can't remember their friendship. But Roxas was left with hatred toward Sora. What happens when Roxas is forced to tutor Sora? RokuSora. RoxasxSora. And YES! I can finally click that complete button! :
1. Prologue

A seven year old Roxas walked hand in hand with a six year old Sora. They were currently on their way to their favorite place on Earth. And what would be better than going to their favorite place on Earth? Going there with their best friend.

"Woxy-chan!" Sora turned to Roxas with a cat like grin.

"Hmm?" Roxas tilted his head and looked down at Sora. Sora being a couple inches shorter looked up at him.

"We're going to music school!" Sora yelled. Roxas laughed at Sora's childishness.

"Yup! We sure are!" Roxas yelled as well.

Everyday after school, Roxas and Sora would walk hand in hand to music class. And everyday after school, Sora would say the same thing, and Roxas would respond the same way.

This went on for a whole year. Roxas went on to the third grade, and Sora to the second.

One day, eight-year-old Roxas waited for seven-year-old Sora outside of his class room, but Sora never came out.

Dejected, Roxas walked to music school all by himself. And suddenly, his most favorite place on Earth meant nothing to him because his most favorite person on Earth wasn't there with him.

The next day, Roxas went back to Sora's class, hoping that Sora was there that time. He saw Sora, and he was about to run up to him, but he stopped when he saw Sora with a red headed girl.

Roxas hid behind a nearby trash can and held his breath while they passed the door. They met with a silver haired boy that was in Roxas' class.

Roxas came out and walked to the music school by himself, for the second time.

The third day, Roxas tried again. That time, he decided that he would talk to Sora.

"Hey, Sora!" Roxas smiled. Sora was froze and smiled.

"Roxas!" Sora launched himself at Roxas.

"Who's he Sora?" the red head asked from behind him.

"Oh, Kairi, this is Roxas. Roxas this is Kairi," Sora introduced them. Roxas beamed at her. Kairi blushed.

"Hi!" a boy's voice came out of nowhere.

"Riku!" Sora yelled and tackled him as well. Roxas tried to smile, but he couldn't help but feel abandoned.

"Hi," Roxas said shyly.

"You're in my class aren't you?" Riku smiled at him.

"Yeah..." Roxas mumbled.

"How do you know Sora?" he asked. _How do _you _know Sora? _Roxas wanted to ask him. But he decided not to.

"We go to music school together. I was gonna ask him why he didn't go yesterday," Roxas said instead.

"Music school?" Riku snorted. Sora grabbed Roxas' hand.

"I didn't know Sora went to music school!" Kairi grinned. "That's so cool–"

"Lame!" Riku interjected. Sora pulled Roxas toward him, away from the group.

"I don't go to music school anymore!" Sora yelled as he turned away from Riku and Kairi to face Roxas.

"What are you talking about?" Roxas whispered as he tried not to get angry at Riku.

"Please Roxas, Riku doesn't think that music school is all that cool," Sora pleaded.

"I can tell," Roxas seethed.

"Um, but he's not a bad kid. He's really nice, and he's fun–"

"More fun than music school I bet," Roxas snorted.

"Listen Roxas. He's my neighbor, and he's really popular. I want to be like him!" Sora yelled in a whisper.

"Fine then!" Roxas yelled out loud and stormed off.

"What's wrong with him?" Riku asked.

"Forget about it, it was nothing," Sora said.

"But he looked really angry Sora-kun," Kairi looked worried.

"He's fine, forget about him Sora. Let's go to my house. I'll teach you how to play blitzball," Riku took both Kairi and Sora and draped his arms on both of their shoulders.

* * *

Roxas came home that day with tears in his eyes. Eighteen-year-old Cloud and nineteen-year-old Tifa tried to calm Roxas down.

"Roxy-chan, can you tell me what happened?" Tifa cooed as he held the boy in her arms.

"Roxas, you can tell us anything, you know that right?" Cloud ruffled Roxas' hair.

"I... want.. mommy... and daddy..." Roxas cried harder.

"Roxas... Mommy and Daddy are... well... they're de–"

"We're your mommy and daddy now," Tifa interrupted Cloud and glared at him.

"I know..." Roxas hiccuped.

"But everyone is leaving me. Mommy, Daddy, and now Sora!" Roxas looked up at them.

"Roxas, Tifa and Ven and baby Denzel and I are here. We won't ever leave you," Cloud sat down beside Tifa.

"Roxy-chan, please, just tell us what happened," Tifa rubbed Roxas' back. Roxas gave in, and told them everything.

"Do you want us to talk to Sora's parents about this?" Cloud asked.

"NO!" Roxas had stopped crying then.

"Well, do you want to go talk to Sora?" Tifa suggested.

"... yes... I want to apologize..." Roxas said. Tifa and Cloud were shocked. They hadn't thought that Roxas would actually be mature enough to admit his own fault.

"Oh Roxas! That's so kind of you!" Tifa hugged him.

"Good job kiddo. That's the right thing to do," Cloud himself hugged Roxas.

"Thank you... Um... can you guys let go now, I can't breathe, and Ven's giving us weird looks," Roxas noted that his other older brother had just walked in the door.

"Hey Ven, how was school?" Tifa asked.

"Don't talk to me," Ven rushed up to his room and slammed his door. Tifa looked hurt.

"Don't worry about it Tifa, I was... like that when I was in high school too," Cloud rubbed Tifa's shoulder.

"Hmph, I won't _ever _be mean to you like that Teef!" Roxas crossed his arms.

"Denzel won't either, right?" Roxas asked the infant in the crib across the room, that was just watching the whole scene unfold.

"Woxas!" Denzel yelled in triumph.

"You're supposed to say 'yes'," Roxas rolled his eyes. Tifa and Cloud just laughed.

* * *

Roxas nervously rang the doorbell of Sora's incredibly huge house the following Saturday.

"Yes?" Sora's mom answered the door.

"Um, is Sora there?" Roxas asked.

"Oh, yes. Hello there Roxas-kun, I haven't seen you in a long time," she crouched down and smiled at him.

"Come in!" She beckoned. "Go ahead and go up to Sora's room, it's the first door to your left when you go up the stairs."

Roxas went up to Sora's room and knocked on his door. Sora answered it with a smile, but as soon as he saw Roxas, his face dropped into a frown.

"What?" Roxas felt hurt. He had never heard Sora speak in that tone before.

"I... I came to... I'm sorry," Roxas sighed. Sora's face softened into a smile.

"... It's okay Roxy. I'm sorry too..." Roxas smiled as well. He held out his hand.

"Friends?" he asked. Sora took Roxas's hand and beamed.

"Are you going back to music school?" Roxas asked Sora.

"...I'm sorry Roxas. But I... I don't think so," Sora looked at the ground as he let go of Roxas's hand.

"What?" Roxas's face contorted into a frown.

"It's just–"

"No Sora. I get it. You choose him. You think that music is lame! That's _stupid!_" Roxas yelled. Sora's lips pursed into a pout.

"...Well you know what? I think that music _is _stupid, and that _you _are too! I _hate _music!" Sora yelled back. Tears formed in Roxas's eyes.

"Fine. If you hate music then... I hate _you_!" Roxas once again stormed away from Sora's sight.

Sora, who had just processed the gravity of their argument, broke down on the floor crying. Sora had just lost his _first_ best friend. His _bestest _friend.

"Roxas? Roxas... don't leave me..." Sora feebly called out to Roxas's retreating form. Roxas didn't hear him.

* * *

"Roxas... what happened?" Tifa scooped the boy into her arms again.

"... I'm not friends with Sora anymore," Roxas mumbled into her shirt.

"What? Why?" Tifa made Roxas face her, and she wiped away his tears.

"We.. had a fight. Then I told him I hate him. I don't hate him... But I can't tell him that anymore because now he hates me!" Roxas's tears went free falling from his face.

"I'm home!" Cloud called out.

"Cloud! Come here! I'm in the kitchen," Tifa yelled.

"Yes?" Cloud came in, laid down his books on the table and saw little Roxas clinging onto Tifa's front.

"What happened?" Cloud's eyes held genuine worry for his baby brother.

"Sora and Roxas had a fight," Tifa told him.

"Roxas, what happened?" Cloud wanted to hear everything. Roxas sniffled and wiped his face on Tifa's shirt. He looked up at Cloud and told him exactly what happened.

"That's it. We _definitely _need to talk to his parents. Tifa, where's the phone?"

Suddenly, the phone rang, and to Cloud's surprise, it was Sora's parents.

"Hello, Strife residence," Cloud answered.

_"May I speak to Mr. or Mrs. Strife?" _it was a man's voice.

"I'm sorry sir, but my parents are no longer with us. They passed a few months ago," Cloud pinched the bridge of his nose.

_"...I'm sorry son. I didn't know, I had just come from a business trip... A–anyway, may I speak to Roxas's legal guardian?" _

"This is him," Cloud sighed.  
_  
"Oh, yes, well. This is regarding my son and Roxas."_

"I'm... aware of the events that took place. My brother just told me," Cloud swallowed.

_"Then, were you told of what had happened to my son?" _

"No sir. What... happened?" Cloud asked.

_"My son is being examined at a psychiatric clinic as we speak. It seems that whatever your brother may have done, it was the cause of Sora's... vulnerable mental state."_

"Now wait just a minute. You're blaming my brother for the reason why Sora's being _examined_? You don't even know if there's anything wrong with him yet!" Cloud yelled.

_"I'm not blaming your brother. Just stating what the psychiatrist told my wife and I."_

"Well, my brother was just as shaken by their argument as Sora was," Cloud was getting angry.

_"If he was, then how come you're not in the psychiatric clinic hoping that you're brother was still sane?"_

Cloud didn't know what to say to that. He could tell that Sora's dad was just as angry as he was.

"I'm sorry sir," said Cloud.

_"Yes, well. Ahem. The doctors told me that they still don't know if Sora would be okay. They'll keep examining him. But until then, they advised us to keep Sora away from what they think is the cause. In other words, keep him away from Roxas."_

"Roxas will gladly keep away from Sora. Was that the reason you called?" Cloud asked, trying to keep his emotions in check.

_"Yes. That is all."_

* * *

In the next few days, Cloud told Roxas what had happened, although completely leaving out the part where Sora's dad blamed Roxas. But Roxas _still _thought it was his fault.

He sulked everyday that he didn't see Sora because he _knew _that even if Sora was alright, he'll never get to apologize to him. And he'll never be friends with him anymore.

The Strife home phone rang again. That time, Tifa answered it.

"Hello? Strife residence, Tifa Lockhart speaking."

_"Yes, this is Sora's mother."_

"Oh, Mrs. Leonhart, how's Sora?" Tifa asked.

_"... He's fine. Nothing's wrong with him except... well, he can't remember Roxas at all. We made a deal to not mention Roxas to, him. We didn't even tell our other children about the incident with Sora. But I guess that was our mistake._

_"Xion, who's only a year older than Sora, was the only other child that knew about Roxas. She asked Sora about him during dinner. Sora... didn't know who Roxas was."_

"What?" Tifa was shocked.

_"We asked the doctor about this, and he said that Sora's brain had probably attributed Roxas to the pain he felt. So, as a defense mechanism, it decided to discard all of his memories of and with Roxas."_

"... Roxas would be so devastated," Tifa mumbled so that she wouldn't hear her.

_"The reason why I'm calling to tell you this is... my husband and I both think that things would be better that way."_

"I... don't understand," Tifa's voice was soft.

_"I'm saying that I want Roxas to be kept away from Sora. That is all. Bye."_

Tifa put the phone back and held her head in her hand. Too many things she had to process. But that wasn't the problem. The problem was...

"How am I going to tell Roxas?"

"Tell me what?" Roxas just walked in the kitchen with his backpack slung haphazardly on his shoulder.

Tifa bit her lip, as she told Roxas what had just happened.

"...It's... okay. I understand," Roxas didn't cry. But Tifa could tell that he needed a hug. So she gave him the best hug she could muster.

* * *

Years passed and Roxas was in high school. Roxas chose to go to a different middle school from what he knew Sora would choose to go to. In that middle school he found new friends. Axel, Namine, and Xion were really good friends that shared his love for music and the arts.

Once he was in high school, his little group of friends grew.

Freshman year for him was a blast. He got a girlfriend, they broke up though, and their experiences made Roxas forget about the childhood friend that he was burdened to carry in his memories.

Eventually, Roxas couldn't even remember what happened between him and Sora. All he _could _remember was his name, and all the hurt connected with it.

In his sophomore year, Sora came into the same high school as a freshman. And almost immediately, he became one of the most popular people in school.

"God, I hate that kid. Freshmen are so dumb," Roxas crushed his milk carton.

"Do you even _know _him Roxas?" Namine rolled her eyes.

"Not really... But I remember something happened between us when we were younger. I can't_ fully _remember what it was though.."

"Well that's a good reason to hate someone's guts," Axel commented sarcastically. Everyone at the table laughed.

"Ha Ha. Very funny," Roxas mocked. Then he remembered that Xion was there too.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I'm talking bad about your brother right in front of you. It's just that–"

"Don't apologize Roxas... I know," Xion smiled.


	2. Chapter 1

**Author's Note: **Hello there. This is my first multi-chapter RoxasxSora fanfic. Please be nice. :) I hope you like it.

* * *

Chapter 1:

"Mr. Roxas Strife," Principal Ansem the Wise said with an air of arrogance. 

_This guy is so full of himself. His name is a dead giveaway... Ansem the Wise... I mean seriously, why would anyone's name be Ansem **the Wise**? _Roxas stopped his eye from twitching as he watched the blonde man arrange his red scarf more comfortably around his neck.

"You were summoned here in regards to a certain sophomore that seems to be... ah.. not meeting the standards to be able to play for our school's blitzball team."

Roxas nodded.

"Marluxia and Lexaeus here, are his teachers for Biology and Algebra II, respectively," He gestured at the two teachers behind him.

"I am aware," Roxas said politely.

"Good then. This meeting's purpose is to inform you that we have chosen you to tutor our young blitzball prodigy, Sora Leonhart," the principal smiled. _Creepy_, was the one word that flashed in Roxas's head.

"I..." Roxas sounded reluctant.

"I know you may have second thoughts about this, seeing as you do have a life of your own, and you have a busy schedule, being a junior and all, and you probably don't want to spend your free time tutoring someone else–" the coach for blitzball, Wakka, sounded urgent.

"Coach, it's not that... The reason I'm reluctant to tutor him _isn't_ because I don't have enough time or space in my schedule. It's just because... I don't feel very comfortable with this," Roxas reasoned.

"But son, please, you gotta understand, Sora's one of the best players we have. Without him, the whole JV team will go down in flames! Not that it's literally possible what with all the water involved in blitzball... Of course, you would've been a good player too, if you had just accepted my offer in your freshman year..." Wakka looked dejected and still bitter about something as he rambled.

"Now, now, Coach. There's no need to over react. Let's hear what Roxas has to say shall we?" Principal Ansem waved his hand, as if the gesture were enough to stop Wakka from going on his knees and begging.

"Roxas, tell us why you're uncomfortable with this decision?" the principal shifted his gaze towards Roxas.

"Sir... well, it's not–I mean... I'm sorry I didn't want to be on the team Coach, but I had my reasons then too. And I told you what they were... But this time I can't. Please, you have to trust me on this one. I _cannot _tutor Sora."

"Well Roxas, I'm afraid that if you can't tell us a valid reason, you don't have an excuse," Ansem propped his elbows on his desk, folded his hands together and rested his chin on it.

He smirked. Roxas couldn't help it any longer, his eye twitched and Principal Ansem caught it; his smirk grew wider.

"Yes sir, I understand," Roxas was defeated.

"_I_ don't understand Roxas, why don't you just tell us? I mean, if you can't stand the kid, just say it. I mean, even_ I _can't stand the kid," Marluxia asked calmly.

"It's.. complicated... sir," Roxas added the last part as an afterthought.

"... I guess it doesn't matter," Marluxia sighed.

"Anyway, we're going to give you the material that Sora has to make up. He gets ten weeks. At the end of the quarter, he has to take two tests, one for algebra II and one for biology. You're responsibility is to make sure that when Sora takes the tests, he passes." said Lexaeus, his muscles bulging against his shirt.

_Tell me, how in the **hell** does a math teacher get that buff? _Roxas thought to himself.

"...I... I'm still not sure about whether I'm the right person to take on this task," said Roxas, still hanging on to that tiny glimmer of hope.

"... Okay. Tell you what Mr. Roxas, I'll give you two days to decide. But keep this in mind, either way you choose, I will get what I want. Which is either you tutor Sora, or you tell me why you _don't_ want to tutor Sora," Ansem placed his hands down.

_Creeper. Why do you want to know so much? _Roxas almost said that out loud.

"That's a fair deal," Roxas said after _much_ thought.

"But, Ansem, Sora needs a tutor now!" Wakka complained.

"Oh Coach Wakka... Don't worry. We'll have Roxas give it a try first, shall we?" Ansem looked at Wakka, who was on the verge of having an emotional breakdown.

"But! That wasn't part of the deal!" Roxas exclaimed. _Shit, I just did exactly what he wanted to see... Me freaking out._

"Roxas, you already agreed. You can't back out." Marluxia pointed out. Roxas couldn't say anything to that.

"You will tell Sora that you are going to tutor him, tomorrow. And you will tutor him, for just one day; the next day. That's the two days I'm giving you," Ansem said with a smile. "Do you have any other complaints?"

"...No... sir," Roxas said through gritted teeth.

"You may leave."

And Roxas left the room. He couldn't wait to get far enough away so that he could punch something without having them see.

* * *

His name was Roxas. Sixteen years of age and a junior at Destiny High. His hobbies consisted of drawing, skateboarding, and hanging out with friends.

He tended to avoid attention from people other than his friends, but unfortunately for him, his pride didn't let him be someone_ invisible_.

Roxas was exceptional at most everything he does. He can play the guitar fairly well, and sing decently. His art was far superior than those being sold in art galleries for millions of munny. His skateboarding skills rivaled that of the most famous pro-skaters. His grades were _beyond _just _exceptional_. And, his family was well off, despite his lack of parents.

One would think that Roxas was a very well-known young man in his school, what with his achievements. But the only people that knew of all his greatness, were his friends, his family, and the teachers at the school.

_Those_ people all knew that Roxas doesn't want to be noticed. And _those_ people all knew that Roxas couldn't stand _not_ being praised for his achievements.

This great contradicting personality led Roxas to have an introverted sense of living.

He was not a people person. He preferred to just stay with his friends and family–the people he's comfortable with–and not let anyone else in.

That tightly knit group of people, _all_ knew of Roxas's quirks that no one else does. And they _all_ appreciated all of his perfection. _They_ were never jealous of what he had accomplished. _They_ merely supported, and encouraged.

Which is why Roxas loved his friends dearly. _They _accepted him for who he was.

If he took a chance with other people, with_ strangers,_ he didn't know whether or not they'd stay friends with him.

His friends shared the same feelings; they each had their own quirks that Roxas accepted as well.

People who didn't know Roxas, only saw him as the geek who's too smart for his own good. People who didn't know his friends, just saw them as freaks that the geek hangs out with.

At first Roxas didn't like how these people were treating them. But he learned that it was better that way. Because that way, he wouldn't have to deal with people that can't and _won't _accept him. Because that way, none of his friends would get hurt.

Because that way, he himself wouldn't get hurt.

He was angry at people who get noticed too much. Well... not so much angry as he was confused. He couldn't grasp the understanding of why, or rather, _how _they can take all the attention–good _and_ bad.

_These_ people had other people,_ lesser people_, worshiping the ground they stood on, as well as _openly_ hating their guts.

_These_ people had fans as well as haters. _These_ people were the celebrities of the school. _These_ people were on top of the social pyramid...

And _these_ people, Roxas found, were staring at him as he walked toward their table during lunch.

"Uh, Sora Leonhart?" Roxas asked.

"Yes?" Sora looked up from his tray of... food? _What in the hell is this prep-jock __eating? Or should I say, NOT eating? _Roxas thought as he looked at the boy's barely-a-salad and small protein bar.

"I was asked by Coach Wakka to–" at the mere mention of the coach's name, Sora stood abruptly and dragged Roxas away from the cafeteria.

* * *

"Look, please don't mention that I'm failing to my friends," Sora looked pleadingly into Roxas's eyes. _Damn it, he looks like a cute animal. _Roxas noted in his head.

"Well, your math and science teacher told me to talk to you as soon as I can," Roxas said with a bored tone.

"Oh... well, if you want you could come to my house later this week and we can talk more about it then," said Sora.

"Sure, how about tomorrow?" Roxas's eyelid was twitching, but he blinked to stop it.

"Thank you... uh... what was your name again?" Sora smiled sheepishly.

"Roxas, Roxas Strife," Roxas politely stuck his hand out to him. Sora took it.

"Nice to meet you Roxas. My name is Sora–of course you already knew that... right... I'm so dumb," Sora said the last part under his breath. But Roxas heard it anyway.

Roxas scoffed as he let go of Sora's hand. _Well at least he knows he needs tutoring... This kid may not be so bad after all._

* * *

They walked back into the lunch room and went their separate ways. But not before Roxas heard the lie he told his friends.

"What was that about Sora?" Riku asked.

"Nothing, just some dude trying to–uh–be my 'friend'," Sora put air quotes on 'friend', and the whole table laughed.

_That little lying brat. Fine, I've made up my mind. He's scum that only cares about his reputation, and he doesn't deserve my time! _Roxas seethed. His friend Namine noticed Roxas's negative mood.

"Mind telling me what's wrong before you burn holes in your tray, Roxas?" She sipped her milk calmly. Her quiet comment led everyone at Roxas's table to stop what they were doing to look at him.

"It's nothing," Roxas sighed. Then he looked up at his friends. "Really, it's nothing."

They nodded and turned back to what they were doing. Namine, however, wasn't convinced.

"Hmm... you're gonna have to tell me later in art class... And since Xion is there too, you're going to have to tell us both," she whispered.

"...Fine..." Roxas muttered.

* * *

The bell rang and the students in the cafeteria dispersed. Breaking off from their cliques to go into their respective classes.

Roxas had art with Namine and Xion, so he was walking behind the two girls. When they got to the class, their teacher just pointed at the assignment on the board, and walked back to his desk as he watched his students get to work.

Namine pulled out her sketchpad and some crayons, Xion pulled out her modeling clay, and Roxas pulled out an easel and some brushes.

The assignment was: Using your best tools of art, create something that captures your emotions at this very moment. Due tomorrow at the beginning of class.

"I can tell that Roxas's painting will be something very abstract... and angry," Xion commented as she glanced at Roxas's sour face.

"Ha Ha, very funny," Roxas stuck his tongue out at her.

"So, are you going to tell us what happened?" Namine looked up from her drawing, which consisted of a lot of blue and calming colors.

"I'm pretty sure that translates to, 'you're going to tell us what happened, whether you want to or not'," Xion added in.

"Ugh, fine. Just, don't tell the guys, they'll be mad," said Roxas.

"Why, what is it?" Namine put down her sketchpad to show that she was listening. Xion stopped molding her sculpture–that was starting to look like a figure of a man–to listen to Roxas.

"I decided not to take the tutoring job."

"What? Why?" Xion asked.

"Because, that Sora kid is a jerk, no offense Xion," Roxas added in the last part quickly, as he drew with a pencil on the canvas.

"None taken, my little brother _is_ a jerk," Xion waved her hand.

"Roxas, are you sure you're not overreacting, you've been known to do that a lot... well, not to other people, but to _us_..." Namine put her hand on Roxas's arm.

"No, he _lied _to his friends, and told them that I wanted to be _his _friend," Roxas threw his arms up, splattering red paint all over his easel and canvas.

"Whose?" asked Xion after she went back to forming her mini sculpture.

"Sora's?" Namine answered with a question.

"Yeah," Roxas nodded. He was using a broad brush to smear angry splatters of red, black, and purple paint on his canvas.

"I don't really think that it's _that_ bad Roxas," Namine rolled her eyes and went back to her drawing, after raising a brow at what Roxas was painting.

"Of course it is! Now they all think that I'm some sort of creeper!" Roxas exclaimed. He then slashed his brush across his painting, creating a really dark black line in the middle.

"Right, like you _aren't _a creeper?" Xion joked while forming the head of her figure carefully.

"You're really full of jokes today, aren't you Xion?" Roxas glared at her.

"They don't think you're a creeper," Namine paused at her shading, "Besides, weren't you the one who said that you didn't care what others thought of you?"

Roxas had no answer to that. His hand froze in mid-stroke, then resumed and went in a totally different direction.

"Either way, I'm not going to tutor him," Roxas said stubbornly.

"Whatever Roxas, but the guys are going to be pretty mad once they find out," Xion shook her head.

"Yeah, jobless Roxas means a broke Roxas, which means no munny for the concert tickets, which means we don't get to _go _to the concert," Namine noted.

"Well, they're not gonna find out, because if they did, you guys are dead," Roxas's tone was serious.

"For someone so smart... You really are stupid aren't you?" Xion laughed.

"They're going to find out Roxas, because they're going to pester you about that concert. Hell, I want to pester you about that concert. But I won't, because I know you're in emotional turmoil right now... at least, your painting says so," Namine gestured at the mess of angry colors that were on his canvas.

"Whatever, nothing they can do, or say, will change my mind," was the last thing Roxas said before the bell rang.

* * *

He went to his last two classes, still seething until the dismissal bell finally rang. Then he was outside of the school, waiting for his friends.

"Roxy-chan!" Axel draped his arm over Roxas's shoulders.

"Really Axel, any more touching and the whole school will think that you're married," Xion rolled her eyes.

"Besides, Roxy-chan is mine!" Xion pulled on Roxas's arm. He just sighed.

"Oh hey! I want to join! Roxy-chan is mine too!" Hayner latched onto his other arm. Roxas really wanted to bang his head on the wall.

"Oh hell NO! Roxas is mine! Back off bitches!" Axel clutched onto Roxas tighter.

"Would you guys please just let go of me?" Roxas's voice came out feebly.

"Aw, but we wanted to take a picture, go ahead Olette, stand by the weird sculpture," Pence grinned with a camera in his hands.

Olette was posing and laughing by Roxas, Xion, Hayner, and Axel.

"Hey Roxas, nice accessories, can I take one?" Demyx laughed.

"Please?" Roxas all but pleaded.

"Come here Axel!" Demyx pried Axel off of Roxas and tacklehugged him.

"Larxene, please take control of your monkeys," Zexion poked his head up from his book.

"Aye aye sir!" Larxene mocked.

"Alright my minions, get off of Roxas." They all let go of him at once.

"Roxas, don't you have something to tell everyone?" Namine came out of nowhere... like the rest of his friends.

"What?" Roxas froze.

"Oh? What is it Roxas?" Hayner asked.

"Uh... it's nothing important really," Roxas scratched the back of his neck.

"Roxas..." Namine said threateningly.

He took a deep breath, "I decided not to tutor Sora. I'm going to tell his teachers and his coach tomorrow."

"What?"

"NO!"

"You can't do that!"

"What about the concert?"

"Why?"

"Roxas!"

"WHAT?"

"You guys!" Roxas yelled after they all exclaimed at once.

"I can't tutor him okay? He's... a jerk, again, no offense Xion," Roxas tried to reason with them.

"Again, none taken," Xion rolled her eyes.

"But you promised us you'd take us to that concert," Demyx looked like a kicked puppy.

"Aw, Dem, don't look like that," Roxas said, then all of the sudden, all of them looked like kicked puppies, except for Larxene and Zexion.

The two just looked intimidating... and scary.

"F–fine! Fine! I'll do it!" Roxas caved. They all rushed in to hug him, except for Namine, Zexion, and Larxene.

Roxas glared at Namine, and mouthed, "I hate you."

Namine winked and mouthed back, "I love you too."

Yes, his friends were selfish bastards. But Roxas didn't care. They were his friends and he didn't want it any other way.

* * *

Please Review. Me wants to know what people think :3


	3. Chapter 2

**Author's Note: **Here's chapter two. I hope you enjoy it:) Just to clarify something, this won't be at all based on the movie, _not another teen movie_. It would just be like the movie in the sense that I'm spoofing other high school fanfics. Well, not really but.. Uh... I don't know where I'm going with this so... yeah. Here you go.

* * *

Chapter 2:

Roxas went to Sora's house–more like a mansion than a house–the next day. Sora's brother, Vanitas answered the door.

_Whoa! Did the kid dye his hair, AND get taller?... wait, no, he looks older too. _Roxas thought.

"Ven, what are you doing here?" Vanitas asked.

"Um, sorry, but my name is Roxas," said Roxas.

"Oh, right. Ven told me he had a brother that looked like him. I just didn't know that the resemblance was that close," Vanitas laughed.

_Like he's one to talk, him and the kid are practically the same person, only with different hair and eye color. How does he know my brother anyway?_ Roxas suppressed the urge to raise his brow.

"I take it you're here to see Sora?" Vanitas opened the door so that Roxas could get in. Roxas just nodded in response.

"Just sit here, and I'll call Sora down," Vanitas gestured at a lovely couch that looked well over a hundred thousand munny.

Roxas looked around and saw all the fancy and expensive furniture in the living room. His eyes landed on a family picture. They all looked so happy.

_Wow, this Sora kid really has everything huh. He has a happy and rich family. He's loved by almost everyone in the school. He's the star blitzball player for junior varsity, AND he has looks. Not that my family isn't happy and well off or anything, but..._ Roxas almost got lost in his thoughts.

But suddenly, Sora comes down and asked, "Ne~ Van-nii, do you know Roxas?... And shouldn't you be in college right now?"

"No, he's the brother of my friend from college, who happens to exactly like him... And it's a Friday Sora, relax, I don't have class tomorrow," Vanitas told him, then left the room to go off to who-knows-where. The house was so huge that Roxas could get lost in it, and it would take him days to get out.

"But... you were _here_ the whole week!" Sora yelled after his brother. Then he sighed and turned to Roxas, remembering that he was there.

"Oh! That's cool! You have a brother that looks exactly like you too?" Sora asked.

"Er.. yeah..." Roxas scratched the side of his face.

Another brunette comes in, a rucksack in his hand as he was headed for the front door, and does a double take.

"... Are you Cloud Strife's brother?" _Gee, how many times have I heard that before? Oh right! about.. a gajillion!... Wow Roxas... now you're making up numbers. Coming here was such a big mistake._

"Yeah," Roxas gave him a small polite smile. Leon smiled back.

"Hey Squall," Sora snickered.

"I told you to stop calling me that! And call me 'onii-san'."

"You're not the boss of me, besides, you didn't even say hi to _me_, your brother, yet!" Sora pouted.

"Sorry Sora, but your new friend just surprised me. I mean... Cloud Strife, I'm a big fan of his," said Leon while reaching out to ruffle Sora's hair.

"Why? What does your brother do Roxas?" Sora asked Roxas, who had been trying so hard not to laugh at Leon's comment.

_Why in the hell would anyone be a fan of Cloud? I mean, sure I used to worship him when I was little, but god, all he does is deliver things with that... cool bike of his. Right... yeah.. that's why. It doesn't hurt that he's the youngest president of our family's company either..._

"He, uh, he delivers... stuff," _Way to be eloquent Roxas..._

"Oh..." Sora looked confused. But he tried so hard to make it seem like he understood. Roxas felt kinda sorry for the guy.

"Well, anyway, I'm going now. Do you want anything from Twilight Town, Sora? The others already told me what they wanted," Leon asked before he left.

"No thanks Squall-nii... On second thought... Bring me back sea-salt ice cream!" Sora grinned at his brother.

"... Fine. Bye! Tell mom I'll be back in a few days," Leon waved and closed the door behind him.

"Why is he going to Twilight Town?" Roxas asked before he could stop himself. Resisting the urge to smack himself, he thought, _Way to go Roxas... now you get to hear him talk... **again**._

"Oh, he's doing some odd jobs there to be independent one day. He says that he can't go on living off of our parents forever. I really admire him... Actually, we all do... S–sorry, I think I was rambling," Sora blushed.

"... No, it's okay. I guess I can say the same about my older brother. Cloud has been taking care of us ever since our parents died. Well... him and his girlfriend," Roxas's lips twitched upward. _Talking about Cloud always makes me so proud of being a Strife._

"Oh.. I didn't... I didn't know that. I'm sorry," Sora looked sincerely apologetic.

"It's all good," Roxas gave him a genuine smile._ This kid really just makes people turn from angry to happy with just one look... But right, I'm supposed to not like him. After all that he did to me... which I can't even remember. God what am I doing here?–  
_

"So uh, do you want to go upstairs, or do we just stay here?" Sora interrupted his thoughts.

"I–It's up to you," said Roxas. "But I–" before he could finish he was cut off by a little girl. _Was going to say something about interruptions... _Roxas finished in his head.

"Sora-nii!"

"Marlene! What is it?" Sora beamed at her. _Too bright! _Roxas was imagining that he was shielding his eyes from the brightness. But of course, if he did, he'd look stupid.

"Play with me and Boo-chan!" She held up a toy moogle.

"Sorry Marlene, but Sora-nii has to go study, why don't you ask nee-chan?" Sora crouched down and patted her head. She looked sad for a moment, but she smiled and looked up at Sora.

"Okay!" But before she left, she stopped and stared straight at Roxas. She tilted her head to one side.

"Hmm... You look like someone I know... OH! Denzel-kun! Are you his nii-chan?" She asked. _What are the odds of that, almost his whole family knows my siblings. _Roxas thought to himself.

"Yeah, I am, I'll tell him that I saw you today," Roxas smiled at her gently. Her cheeks colored and she bounded off in search of her older sister.

Roxas noted that, _Her older sister... is the only person I actually know in this house, other than Sor__a, which reminds me... where is she? She wasn't at school today. She seemed fine the day before though._

"Hey.. uh, Sora. Where's Xion?" at the mention of her name, Sora's bright smile faded.

"... I.. She and I.. don't get along very well," he said sadly.

"Oh," Roxas dropped the topic.

"W–well, let's start shall we?" he asked awkwardly.

Sora visibly relaxed, "Okay, I'll go get my books."

"Yeah.. okay..." Roxas said as Sora left to go up to his room. For some reason, Roxas can't help the feeling of de ja vu. Like he had been in this house before. _But that's not possible... is it?_

"Roxas? What are you doing here?" Xion came down the stairs with a glass in her hand, pulling Roxas from his thoughts.

"I'm... tutoring your brother," Roxas finished lamely.

"Well... yeah. Of course, silly me. Anyway, how are you?" Xion went to sit by Roxas and she set her glass on the table.

"I'm fine. I was just about to ask you that. You weren't at school today," Roxas pointed out.

"Yeah... I had a little trouble waking up today," Xion laughed.

"Oh... haha," Roxas laughed awkwardly. They just stared at each other until someone finally broke the silence.

"You don't know how weird this is right now," said Xion.

"Thank god I'm not the only one," Roxas exhaled. They both laughed, that time, with no awkwardness.

"Roxas... Listen, I think you should leave before it gets too late," Xion placed her hand on Roxas's thigh.

"What? What do you mean?" Roxas was confused.

"I mean, you should leave before my parents get here," Xion sighed.

"What? Why?" Roxas's eyebrows knit together.

"You know why!" Xion looked exasperated.

"I don't know why. Tell me," Roxas was telling the truth.

"Oh no. Don't tell me you forgot too..." Xion gasped.

"What? Forget what?"

"No... It's nothing... It's better that you don't remember." Xion stood up and quickly left the room.

"Remember what? Xion! Wait–"

"What's going on here?" Sora came down with books in his hands.

"It's nothing Sora," Xion glared at Sora before she stormed up the stairs.

"Roxas... What happened?" Sora asked, worried for his sister and his new friend.

"Honestly.. I'm not entirely sure," Roxas shook his head. He cleared his throat once he noticed that Sora's hands were starting to tremble from the weight of his books.

"Right, let's get started."

* * *

After a few hours of algebraic equations, functions, hyperbolas and what-not, Roxas decided to call it a day.

"Sora, I think that's good for today. We'll save the Biology for some other tutor–I mean time," Roxas smiled awkwardly.

"What do you mean 'other tutor'? You're not gonna be tutoring me anymore? But you just started, and I just learned a whole lot!" Sora gestured to the paper of solved math problems that he hadn't been able to solve before.

"Well Sora, based on what your teachers said, you would've learned a whole lot if you would've listened the first time they taught it to you," Roxas pointed out. Sora opened his mouth to say something, but he couldn't think of anything, so he just closed it right back.

"... But I like hanging around with you. I don't know, but you seem familiar somehow. And I feel comfortable with you..." Sora paused for a while after he said that. Then, after realizing what he just said, Sora gasped and covered his mouth.

"I'm sorry... Oh god. I must've sounded like such a _creeper. _Oh, I'm sorry. I totally didn't mean it that way!" Sora pleaded.

"It's okay... Actually, I was thinking something in the lines of that. I was thinking how your house was sort of familiar. Like I've been here before. But that can't be possible, can it?" Roxas asked.

"I... I've never even met you before yesterday, Roxas." Sora looked confused. _Okay... so **he** definitely doesn't remember what he did to me...  
_

"Yeah... Right, sorry, stupid question. Anyway, about that other tutor thing. Principal Ansem told me that he'll give me two days to decide whether I want to be your tutor or not. And today is the second day. Anyway, he told me that I should give it a try first before deciding to back out or not–"

"And you're deciding to back out. Right, I get it," Sora looked dejected. _Oh crap, he looks so sad... Uhhhhh... What do I **do**?_

"No! No, you... You... You didn't let me finish. I was going to say that I decided to keep the tutoring job... Uh, that's if you wanted me to. You see, that's why I mentioned another tutor because you may not have wanted me to keep tutoring you..." Roxas trailed off, unable to add to the lie he just made up. _Wow... I think I did a pretty good job. I should be voted smooth talker of the year... And there I go again, spouting nonsense..._

"O–oh. Oh, okay. I see... That's great then!" Sora clapped his hands together.

"Uh, does that mean... What does that mean?" Roxas asked.

"That means I get to keep you as my tutor! Yay!" Sora bounced on his heels and grinned for ear to ear. If Roxas didn't know that Sora was a sophomore, he would've sworn that Sora was an overgrown ten year old that was just given candy. _Candy... I wonder what Sora would be like if he was sugar high... Oh god I don't even want to _**_picture_**_ it._

_

* * *

_

The next day, Roxas was back again at Sora's mansion of a house. Roxas brought with him old Biology worksheets that he had kept for reasons unknown even to himself. He erased all his answers, after having copied them onto a separate piece of paper to use as a key, to have Sora answer them after they did a bit of studying. The purpose of the worksheet was for Roxas to know what Sora knows, or rather, what he _doesn't _know.

_Why in the world did I stay up late just to** look** for these old worksheets? Why couldn't I have just given him a made up practice test? _Roxas mentally scolded himself.

"Oh, hey Roxas!" Xion had opened the door that time. _Hmm... she seems like she doesn't remember what happened yesterday, well I guess I shouldn't bring it up._ She looked around behind Roxas and spotted the vehicle parked a few feet away from their driveway.

"Sweet ride, how come you never bring _that_ to school?" She asked.

"Because if I did, everyone would ask for rides on it. And honestly, I don't have the time, enough insurance, or the gas money, for that," Roxas sighed.

"Oh... Hey, since we aren't at school, can I take it for a spin?" Xion clapped her hands together. Roxas rolled his eyes.

"No."

"... I won't let you in if you don't!" Xion stuck her tongue out at him.

"Just let me in," Roxas tried to step through the door but Xion slammed it right into his foot.

"FUCK! Xion! What the hell?" Roxas pulled his foot out and clutched it.

"Oh... I'm sorry, what were you saying?" Xion smirked.

"I was saying, 'OWWW, you sadistic woman'!" Roxas exclaimed.

"No, I don't think that's quite right," Xion looked as if she was trying so hard not to laugh. _Go ahead and laugh dammit! This is all your fault I'm in pain! _Roxas yelled in his head.

"Ugh. Fine, you can ride the porsche, just bring her back safely, and don't you _dare_ hurt her," Roxas threatened to kill her with his eyes while handing her the keys.

"I love you Roxas!" Xion winked at him, opened the door, and sauntered out of the house towards Roxas's baby.

"Girls are insanely manipulative..." Roxas muttered under his breath.

"Tell me about it," Sora sighed. Roxas gasped and almost dropped the worksheets.

"...Don't just randomly pop out like that... actually, no wait, my friends do that all the time. I should be used to this by now," Roxas sighed.

"You too? My friends just come out at the most random times, and I don't even notice them until suddenly, they're all there..." Sora laughed. Roxas's lips quirked up. _His laugh sounds so familiar... _

"Oh, I remember this one time, my friend Kairi convinced me to cross dress... I have no idea how she did it, but she got me into stilettos_ and _fishnet stockings."

"Pfft." Roxas snorted. "Okay, I said that girls were manipulative, not evil geniuses. Your friend Kairi is like my friend Namine."

"So she convinced you to cross dress as a french maid too?" Sora's eyes got really big.

"What? No, hell no. She just got me to do this thing I really didn't want to do," _Which is tutoring you. _Roxas finished in his head.

"Oh, what was it?" Sora asked.

"... I... kinda forgot myself. I just remember that she tricked me into doing it," Roxas tried to make it seem casual.

"Okay, so, what are we doing today?" Sora asked.

"I think we should figure out the days I tutor you," Roxas suggested.

"Umm, I think that Friday and Saturday are good. Don't you think?" Sora asked.

"Er... But, don't you have plans?" Roxas asked.

"What? No, not really. Since I'm a sophomore, I don't have a license, or a car, and well, my friends pretty much just hang around at my house, and if we can finish before they come I think that would be alright," Sora smiled. "Unless, you have plans."

"Oh... uh. No. I don't really have plans. And I guess if I do I can arrange it to be at night... Alright, I guess Fridays and Saturdays are good," Roxas thought out loud. _That's a surprise. I would think that someone as popular as him would have one hell of a social life, **even if** he's still a sophomore..._

"Well, since that's taken care of, can we start?" Sora asked.

"Y–yeah, sure." Roxas was pulled out of his mini-reverie.

* * *

After having explained Photosynthesis and Cellular Respiration over and over again, Roxas was just about to lose his cool. Sora was just not getting it. So Roxas decided to give Sora a break.

"Sora... I think you should rest your brain for a while. Just for a few minutes. Then we can go back. Maybe that would help?" Roxas asked.

"Oh thank you!" Sora glomped him. Roxas tensed up. Sora sensed it and he let go immediately.

"I'm sorry!" Sora said quickly.

"Err... it's okay. I just got a... de ja vu," Roxas shook his head.

"Oh... okay." Sora looked at the ground. Then suddenly he stood up.

"I'm gonna go get some drinks. Do you want anything?" Sora asked.

"Water would be nice," Roxas smiled. Sora smiled back. He took one step and slipped on the carpet. Roxas reacted so fast that he shocked even himself. He grabbed onto Sora's wrist and pulled him back to his feet.

"Holy!" Sora exclaimed.

"Uhh... careful?" Roxas realized that he was still holding on to Sora's wrists. _His wrists sure are skinny... _Roxas took a glance at Sora's wrists before he let go. His eyes widened at what he saw; three tiny scars that were just about close to fading. Sora caught Roxas's stare and pulled his wrists instinctively towards his chest.

"Oh, this? I got it when I was younger. My parents told me I fell. I don't remember much of the incident though," Sora looked unsure of himself. Almost as if he _knew _that his parents were lying to him, but he just had no reason to doubt them.

Roxas nodded. Then he drifted back in thought. Sora left the room feeling weird. _Why does it feel so different around him?_


	4. Chapter 3

**Author's note: **hey! :) uhm... yeah, here's chapter 3. er, to clarify again, there is no movie about this particular story. There's a movie called "Not another teen Movie" but it's in no way related to this. :) oh right, and I forgot to disclaim some things. I don't own the characters that are used in this story, I just own the plot.

Oh and Roxas has a big house too, but Sora's house is just bigger. You'll get what I mean when you read it =3

* * *

Chapter 3:

"I'm back!" Xion announced as she swung the front door open and jingled Roxas's keys in her hand. Roxas, on instinct, stood up and looked out the door to inspect his beloved car from where he was. He sighed in relief when he saw no damage.

"See, I told you I'd take care of it," Xion stuck out her tongue.

"No you didn't, I threatened you with your life," Roxas pointed out.

"I also slammed the door on your foot, what's your point?" Xion said mockingly. Roxas glared at her. Xion grinned widely.

"Oh, you know I love you Roxas," Xion hugged him tightly.

"*ahem* S–sorry, but I got the drinks," Sora came back in the living room with a tray in his hands. Xion pulled away from Roxas with a mischievous smile on her face.

"Later Roxas!" Xion winked at him before she left and Roxas just rolled his eyes. _Honestly, my friends are too touchy. But for some reason, they only touch me..._

"So uh, are you and Xion like... uh...?" Sora didn't really finish his question, but Roxas knew what he meant.

"Oh no. Goodness, no. We're just really good friends. We met in middle school," Roxas told him.

"Right. Nee-chan went to a different middle school," Sora told himself. _Why does it seem like Sora is relieved? _Roxas shrugged the thought off._  
_

"Uh, so, I think we're good for today."

"You think so? Maybe you should explain it one more time, so I could get it," said Sora.

"Well... Okay," Roxas had to think about it for a moment.

"Hmm... I'll try to explain it without the equations, maybe that's confusing you," So he explained Photosynthesis–again–in the simplest yet most detailed words he knew, and afterward explained cellular respiration.

"Wait, but why does it seem like cellular respiration is just photosynthesis backwards?" Sora asked.

"Essentially, it is. Even in the equation it's basically the same thing backwards," Roxas smiled. _Yes! He's finally getting it!_

"Oh! Oh... I think I get it... Yeah, so in photosynthesis, basically the plant uses energy to produce glucose, which it uses, and oxygen as a by-product. Then in cellular respiration, it uses the oxygen to break down the glucose from plants, to turn back into energy_," _said Sora.

"Yes! That's basically it! You got it!" Roxas grinned. Then he handed him the worksheets.

"Here, I want you to work on these, then give them to me as soon as you're done. Preferably before Friday next week."

"Ugh. Homework." Sora made a face.

"That's your own fault," Roxas laughed at him.

"I know," Sora pouted.

"Well, I guess that's it for today. I'll go now," Roxas stood up.

"Bye Roxas. Thanks," Sora smiled at him. Roxas gave one back and walked to the door. Sora followed behind him.

"You're really a big help Roxas, maybe we should hang out some time?" Sora asked.

"Hang out? Don't you think two days a week is good enough?" Roxas laughed.

"Well, this hardly counts. I mean hang out as friends, you know, instead of tutor and student."

"...Sure. I'd like that," Roxas smiled one last time and finally, he stepped out of the house and onto the driveway to walk to his car.

"Maybe tomorrow?" Sora yelled out.

"That sounds great! I'll come by around say... 10ish?" Roxas stopped before he got so far away that he had to yell.

"Great!" Sora clapped his hands together. _Oh Shit. What did I just get myself into?_

* * *

_God, couldn't I have just said no? Ugh. His face is too cute and innocent and persuasive. You can't possibly say no to a face like that!_

Roxas opened the door and sat in the driver's seat, carefully examining any possible damage Xion might have caused it, completely forgetting about his other issue. He saw nothing out of the ordinary until... _Aha! I knew she would do something!_ He spotted a piece of paper on the passenger's seat that was neatly folded. He opened the note and it read:

_Hey! So, you might be wondering why I left you this note... But, I need to talk to you, in private. Can you come by tomorrow at 6 pm? I'll be waiting in an ally near my house, it's really close to the stop light. You'll see it once you pass by. Trouble is wherever you park someone's gonna see your car. But that's not really a problem. Anyway, just come okay?_

_Xion_

"What? That's it? No snarky comments, no nothing?" Roxas was trying so hard to find a fault or a prank somewhere in the note, but he couldn't spot anything wrong with it. He gave up and eventually just pocketed the note and sped off.

Hands on the wheel and staring blankly ahead of him, Roxas's thoughts drifted to the note that was then in his pocket. _What does she want to talk about? Hmm... There's so many things to talk about I don't even know which one it could possibly be! _Roxas gave up when he got close to his house. He pulled up in their massive driveway and parked his porsche precisely and carefully.

Walking into the house(that in other people's opinion would be too big for a house, but to Roxas it's just a house), he opened the door so that no sound would indicate that he was there. But he forgot about the alarm. He quickly rushed to turn the device off with the proper code and then sighed in relief.

"Roxas? Is that you?" Tifa called out from their kitchen, which was smelling really good.

"Yeah, I'm home!" Roxas sighed in defeat. _So much for going by unnoticed. _

"Cloud called, he said he's not gonna be back until late tonight. A few things got messed up in the company while he was out delivering stuff... Honestly, if things get messed up as soon as he leaves the building, why can't he just stop delivering?" Tifa angrily stirred the soup.

"Teef, you know why Cloud-nii still keeps his delivery job. It was his first job that he got without mom's, dad's, or the company's help," Roxas sat at the dinner table.

"I know... I know. Sorry. But I'm just irritated because it seems like it's been a long time since all of us sat together at one table at the same time," Tifa stirred more calmly now.

"Well, you're gonna have to get used to that. In about two years I'm gonna be at college like Ven, then three people would be missing from the dinner table," Roxas smiled. He knew what reaction that was going to get.

"Be quiet Roxas! I don't want to _think _about that. You're still my baby and you always will be!" Tifa huffed.

"You're still gonna have Denzel you know," Roxas pointed out.

"But, huh, now that I think about it, in seven or eight years Denzel's gonna be off to college too," Roxas grinned slyly.

"Roxas! Shut up! You're putting depressing thoughts in a cook. The food won't taste as good now! Besides, Denzel would stay with me for the rest of his life, no matter what he says," Tifa laughed evilly.

"I'm so glad I'm not the youngest," Roxas laughed as well. Tifa turned the stove off and poured the soup into a bowl. She got the rest of the food that was already prepared and placed them on the table in front of Roxas.

"Roxas, can you set the table?"

"Sure," Roxas stood up and set the table for three people.

"Hey, set up for four," said Tifa.

"What? But I thought Cloud-nii's coming home late," Roxas asked with a plate in his hands.

"So I'm guessing you don't want me to eat tonight?" Ven came in the kitchen with his car keys in his hands.

"Ven-nii! I thought you were still at Hollow Bastion," Roxas commented.

"Roxas, it's Saturday, and I had no classes yesterday," Ven told him and ruffled his hair.

"Pshh.. You college seniors have it easy," Roxas straightened his hair out.

"You'll get there someday too otouto-chan," Ven said mockingly. "I'm gonna go up to my room for a bit, call me when everything's ready!"

"Honestly, it never fails to freak me out whenever you and Ven have a conversation. It's like watching one of you talk to a mirror!" Tifa laughed. Roxas rolled his eyes.

* * *

Dinner was quiet. Whenever Cloud wasn't home, no one seemed to have anything to talk about.

"So... what did you guys do today?" Tifa feebly tried to do what Cloud always did.

"I hung out with my friends at the new laser-tag place in the city," Ven started.

"I just stayed here!" Denzel scowled into his soup.

"I was here all day too hun, don't worry, I was bored too," Tifa gave Denzel a look and Denzel stopped making the face. he just grinned right back at her.

"I was uh.. tutoring someone," Roxas said quickly hoping that no one would catch it. _If they find out I'm tutoring the person they know I despise the most they're never going to let it go._

"Who?" Tifa asked boredly.

"Uhm. Someone..." Roxas answered vaguely.

"Just say it Roxas, it's not as if we'll make fun of you for it," Ven rolled his eyes.

"Yeah! I wanna know now too!" Denzel yelled enthusiastically.

"It's uh... Sora..."

"Sora? As in Sora Leonhart? As in the person that you're hoping-to-die-someday-soon Sora?" Ven laughed.

"Ven..." Tifa said cautiously.

"Sorry, it's just funny! Isn't it Denzel?" Ven asked his youngest brother.

"It is!" Denzel agreed without really knowing who Sora was.

"Laugh all you want. God is definitely going to reward me for this good deed," Roxas ignored them.

"Yeah, he may let you kill him," Ven snorted.

"Ven..." Tifa's voice changed to a warning tone.

"Sorry, sorry. I'll stop."

* * *

After dinner, Tifa asked Roxas to help her clean up. Roxas reluctantly agreed. They were silently working together, Tifa was washing, Roxas was drying. Time slowly ticked away.

"Hey, about that Sora kid..." Tifa broke the silence.

"Yeah, what about him?" Roxas asked.

"Don't get too close to him alright?" said Tifa.

"What? What do you mean?" Roxas was confused.

"You know... Something happened between you two when you were younger right?" Tifa began.

"You remember what happened?" Roxas asked eagerly. Tifa looked at him weirdly.

"What do you mean? Don't _you_ remember?"

"Remember what?... Xion asked me that too. What do you guys mean?" Roxas was quickly going from confused to totally clueless.

"N–nevermind. I guess it's good that you don't remember. Just promise me you won't get yourself too attached to him, okay?" Tifa looked directly into Roxas's eyes.

"Okay... But it sounds like you're distancing me from him for no apparent reason, besides, I'm just tutoring him," Roxas raised his brow.

"Trust me Roxas. There is a reason. And even if you're just tutoring him..."

"Then tell me–!"

"I'm home!" Cloud's voice cut Roxas off. Roxas dropped the topic, not wanting to get Cloud into it. Because if Tifa knew, then Cloud knew. And if Tifa said he should stay away from Sora, Cloud would say stay away from Sora, and Roxas can't say anything about it. That was just how things worked.

* * *

_**With Sora.**_

Sora watched the porsche fade out into the street. He walked in the house with a warm feeling in his chest. Almost as if he rekindled a long lost friendship. _But that's not possible! Me and Roxas didn't even know each other before high school._

"Sora," Xion came out of nowhere. Sora jumped.

"Gosh... D–don't scare me like that." Sora felt weird. He hadn't had a decent conversation with his sister for years.

"I want you to stay away from Roxas," she said coldly. Before Sora could even ask 'why?' she turned on her heel and walked up the stairs into her room. Sora shook his head, deciding to ignore what had just happened. Xion didn't really talk to him anyway so that might've just been his imagination.

"I'm home you guys!" Sora's mom called out.

"Hey mom," Sora waved.

"Hi honey. Squall isn't home yet huh?" She asked.

"Yeah, he did say he'll be back in a few days. He might be home tomorrow," Sora told her.

"Okay, well... have you eaten dinner yet?" She looked around the empty house.

"No, the maids haven't called me for dinner yet," said Sora.

"Oh. Then, carry on to your room, I'll call you down once dinner's ready," She motioned upstairs with her arms.

"Okay... Hey, mom, when's dad coming back?" Sora asked. His mother just put her head in her hand and shook her head.

"Sora, please, don't talk to me about him. We're having some issues right now. Don't worry, everything will be alright eventually. Just... now isn't a good time yet. He'll be back," his mother tried to explain.

"But why can't you just tell me what happened?" Sora asked.

"Because there's no use. We can solve it by ourselves. Okay? Just go to your room, I have a headache now," She pinched the bridge of her nose.

Sora bit his lip and reluctantly went up. _I can tell that she's lying. Whenever she pinches the bridge of her nose... she's lying. _

_

* * *

_

The next day Roxas went to pick Sora up at exactly 10 am. After promising that he'd hang out with Sora, he can't possibly back out of it.

"Oh, hey Roxas!" Sora opened the door.

"Hey, uh, so, what do you want to do today?" Roxas asked.

"Well, I was thinking, maybe we should just stay here and play video games instead of going out. That is, if you like video games," Sora asked tentatively.

"Yeah, sure. What games do you have?" Roxas asked. Sora let him in the house and led him up the stairs to his room. Roxas felt very familiar and somewhat scared at the sight of Sora's door. 

_Why do I feel like this? _Roxas thought.

"Uh, I have a lot actually. You could go ahead and choose which games you like," Sora pulled him out from his thoughts.

He opened the door to his room and revealed a massive space that seemed too much room than he actually needed. Sora didn't have a lot of furniture in his room. Just a bed, two bean bag chairs on the floor, a wide-screen TV, a stereo right under it, and gaming consoles. Roxas noted that there were a few bookshelves, but he was too far to see what kind of books they contained.

Sora brought out a box full of various games. Roxas eventually picked out smash brothers brawl for the wii.

They spent about two nonstop hours of brawl.

"My pikachu is the best!" Sora yelled out.

"No way! Metaknight can soooo beat pikachu's ass!" Roxas got the special attack and pikachu flew off the screen.

"AH! Damn!" Sora yelled. Then he laughed.

"I'm gonna go get us some snacks, do you want something?" Sora asked.

"Anything's fine," Roxas smiled. Sora stood up and went out of the room. Roxas took this time to examine the contents of his book shelf. Curious of what kind of books Sora read. _I didn't know he even had books._

Roxas skimmed the titles. They were mostly manga. Naruto, Full Metal Alchemist, Bleach, and One Piece. _Typical. What did I expect? Jane Austen? Charles Dickens? _Roxas laughed at the thought._  
_

Roxas continued to look through the books and his eyes stopped at a tiny black book. He pulled it out and the title read "Piano I" curious, he opened it and read the inside cover. There were a bunch of scribbles–Sora's hand writing–that Roxas couldn't make out, but something neatly hand written was on the corner of the inside cover that Roxas _could _read.

"Property of Arieth Gainsborough Music School," Roxas read out loud. _He went there too? _

"Roxas?" Sora asked as he came in with a bowl of chips in one arm, and two soda cans in another.

"Oh, you're back!" Roxas quickly put the book back in the shelf and helped Sora with the food.

"Shall we continue our match?" Sora smirked.

"Prepare to get whooped!"

* * *

Roxas hadn't had that much fun with one person in a long time. Usually, when he hung out with his friends, they were in a group, they never hung out with just two people because it seemed unfair to the others. Roxas remembered having a best friend when he was younger, but that best friend left, and Roxas didn't know what happened to him.

On his way home, he remembered that he promised to meet with Xion. He was already half way to his house from Sora's when he looked at his watch and saw that it was 5:48 pm. _Damn, I'm wasting gas..._ Roxas turned the car around and went back to Sora's house.

He parked the car a bit far from the house so that no one would see it.

"Roxas!" Xion called out to him from the alley.

"Hey," Roxas waved.

"Why an alley?" Roxas asked before Xion could say anything else.

"I have no time to explain that! Just listen okay?" Xion asked.

Roxas nodded.

"No matter what you do, do not get yourself too attached to Sora. I don't want to see anyone hurt," Xion cautioned. There was silence for a time.

"...Why do you people keep saying that?" Roxas felt so confused.

"What?" Now Xion was confused as well.

"You and Tifa. Both of you keep telling me to stay away from Sora. What do you know that I don't?" Roxas asked.

"Roxas... I wish I could tell you."

"Why can't you tell me?"

"I have my reasons... I can't tell you right now, but I will eventually." Xion looked at the ground.

"...Fine. But don't worry. I won't get too attached to Sora. I hate him remember?" Roxas asked.

"Roxas. Stop lying to yourself. I heard you guys from the other side of the house. You were having fun. So much fun."

"T–that's... not..." Roxas was at a loss for words.

"Don't say that it's not true. Because you know it is. You're having fun with him. And it's natural that you do... Just don't get too close," Xion tried to leave the alley but Roxas grabbed her wrist.

"Wait. I have some questions," said Roxas.

"Yeah?" Xion turned to face him.

"Promise me that you'll answer it."

"...Why?"

"Just promise me," Roxas said calmly.

"Okay."

"On Sora's wrist. There are scars from when he fell... what _really _happened to his wrists?" Roxas asked. Xion's eyes widened.

"I... I..." Xion bit her lip. "He didn't fall... Sora caused it upon himself. But it wasn't his fault..." she trailed off.

"He cut himself?" Roxas's eyes widened.

"..." Xion didn't answer.

Roxas wanted to ask more; he was so confused. But he knew that it would be a futile effort.

"Why do you not like Sora so much?" Roxas looked into her eyes. Xion looked away.

"...I don't not like Sora. It's just.. complicated between us." Xion turned on her heel and started to walk away. Then she stopped.

"Roxas... I should tell you one more thing. You and Sora used to be friends," shocked with this new information, Roxas didn't know what to say.

"Why are you telling me this?" he eventually asked.

"I have my reasons." With that, Xion left the alley.

* * *

_**With Sora**_

_Is that Xion? _Sora thought as he saw Xion come out of the alley. From his room, Sora could see a lot of the things happening out side, in front of his house.

_What is she doing out there at this time? _

Someone came out after her. Sora almost thought that it was a kidnapper, but Xion seemed too calm. And the other guy looked as though he was too shocked to do anything. Sora looked more closely and saw that the 'kidnapper' was Roxas.

_What the?_

Sora turned away from the window. _They can't be going out... right? I mean, Roxas said they weren't... But he could've been lying. Why would he lie though?... _

_Actually, that's not the problem right now... Why am I feeling jealous?_


	5. Chapter 4

**Author's note:** Chapter 4! :) Sorry for the lateness (_ _)

* * *

Chapter 4:

_What the hell is she talking about? _Roxas thought as he gripped the steering wheel so hard that his knuckles turned white. Pulling into their driveway, Roxas huffed as he shook the thought out of his head. Or at least, tried to. He climbed into his bed as soon as he got in his room, he didn't even bother saying 'hi' to Tifa, or to Denzel who were in the kitchen preparing dinner. Roxas didn't feel like eating anything.

He laid down on his mattress and stared at his ceiling. He tried to count all the dots but when he got to thirty, he lost count and fell asleep.

* * *

_"Roxas... Don't... me..." Roxas could hear it playing over and over in his head. _

_But it Roxas didn't understand. **"Don't" what you? Who are you?**_

_"Roxas... Don't..." The voice grew louder, clearer. Roxas could tell it belonged to a child.  
_

_"'Don't' what? I'm so confused! Who are you?" Roxas looked around for the voice, but there was nothing but white around him. _

_"Don't leave me." A tiny Sora appeared out of nowhere. He was on the ground, tears pouring out of his eyes.  
_

_"Sora?..." Roxas tried to go near him, but when he got close enough, the dream collapsed around him._

_

* * *

_

"Roxas-nii! Dinner's ready, Tifa says hurry downstairs!" Denzel popped his head into Roxas's room, not even bothering to knock.

"Oh, oops, sorry. I didn't know you were sleeping," Denzel ran away before Roxas could do anything. Denzel knew that Roxas hated being woken up, no matter what time it was.

Roxas clutched his head. He was too distraught to do anything. He didn't even feel like eating dinner. _What in the **hell** was that?_

He shook his head and got up. But when he got to his feet, the world around him started spinning so fast that he had to hold his head to keep himself from fainting.

"Roxas? You okay?" Tifa asked when Roxas finally went downstairs.

"Yeah... just... nevermind. I'm alright," Roxas tried to smile. He didn't even remember how he got down there safely.

"You can tell me anything you know. Me and Cloud both... Well, that is if Cloud is at home," Tifa sighed.

"I know..." Roxas idly poked at his food. Tifa ended up not saying anything else after that. Denzel wouldn't stop talking about how he beat his high score on this one video game. Ven left earlier that day, and Cloud was still out delivering.

* * *

Roxas couldn't sleep. He wanted to so badly, but in the end, he just _wouldn't_ fall asleep.

"Damn it," Roxas muttered. He stood up and went down into the kitchen to get a drink of water.

Before he got there he stopped in his tracks. The kitchen lights were on. _Cloud? _

"Cloud..." it was Tifa's voice.

"What should we do?" she asked.

"There's nothing we can do Teef. We can't do anything except make sure that Roxas doesn't get hurt again." Cloud sighed.

"I know. But I can't help but feel that it's starting all over again. Today... Roxas barely even touched his food," Tifa sounded genuinely worried.

"You can't be sure that it's about Sora. Maybe something else happened... Let's just not butt into it this early on, okay?" Cloud's voice was calm and soothing.

"...Okay..." Tifa sounded reluctant.

Roxas decided that he didn't need that glass of water. However, he felt more confused than ever. _So... they both know... but what in the world happened? Why are Sora and I the only ones that can't seem to remember what happened?... Wait... I'm not even sure if Sora really knows or not... But he can't possibly. After all, he said that he didn't know me until high school... But... ahhh I'm so confused!_

Roxas eventually fell into a restless sleep. When he woke up the next morning to go to school, he felt dead tired.

* * *

"Hey, what's wrong Roxas?" Axel asked during their first period.

"Nothing..." Roxas scribbled away at his notebook, recording all the data of the lab in it.

"I won't be here forever you know, I'm going to college soon. So you should tell me what's going on!" Axel demanded.

"College? Yeah right, you have a D in this class..." Roxas snorted.

"... I was hoping that would make you laugh. Not make fun of me, besides, this is AP Physics, you're the _only_ person in this class that has an A," Axel pouted.

"Sorry... Just.. something weird happened over the weekend. It's okay though... I'll figure something out," Roxas vaguely said. He didn't even know what he was saying.

"Roxas..." Axel wanted to press further, but Roxas had set up an emotional barrier that Axel knew he can't break.

"Alright, I'll drop it. But I won't stop trying to cheer you up!" Axel was determined.

"Okay?..." Roxas raised a brow.

"Hm... Oh, see pretty boy over there?" Axel pointed at Riku.

"What are you going to do Axel?" Roxas turned toward his best friend.

"It's not what I'm _going to_ do... It's what I've _already _done," Axel smirked.

"Right... so you knew I was going to be downcast today, so you pre-planned a prank on Riku?" Roxas was skeptical.

"No, I was gonna play a prank on him anyway. I already planned it last week. But since you are feeling down today, I figured why not just kill two birds with one stone?" Axel laughed.

"... You, my friend, are a genius!" Roxas couldn't wait to see what will happen to Riku. For some reason, he disliked Riku more than he disliked Sora. And for Roxas, that was saying _a whole lot_.

"So.. what exactly did you do?" Roxas asked while continuing the experiment.

"Oh.. you'll see..." Axel laughed.

_*EXPLOSION*_

"AHHH! My hair!" Riku cried out. Axel burst out laughing. Roxas caught on and started laughing as well.

"What did you put in there?" Roxas asked while clutching at his sides.

"Nothing... I didn't do anything!" Axel laughed.

"What? Then... what was your prank?" Roxas stopped laughing.

"Oh, I switched his lunch with mine." Axel said.

Roxas blinked and looked at him blankly.

"...Huh?" _So much for being a genius...  
_

_

* * *

_

_*During Lunch*_

"What the _fuck_ happened to my lunch?" Riku, who already looked angry enough because of his singed hair, looked as though he could kill.

"See? I told you it would be hilarious!" Axel happily ate Riku's lunch.

"... You're really stupid aren't you..." Roxas sweatdropped.

"Hey! I managed to cheer you up! Who's stupid now?" Axel spoke with his mouth full.

"You are!" The whole table yelled at him. They ended up laughing, Axel included.

_Well... that certainly did take things off my mind... For a while... now they're back again... _Roxas sighed inwardly. He looked over to Sora's table. They were all laughing at Riku's misfortune. He couldn't help but smile at Sora's laughing face.

_How could someone like him possibly hurt me so much? To the point that I can't even remember what happened? To the point where my legal guardians and one of my best friends are trying to keep me from getting too attached to him? _

"Roxas?" Hayner pulled him out of his thoughts.

"What are you looking at?" Hayner followed Roxas's gaze.

"...Oh... I get it." Hayner grinned slyly.

"You like Kairi don't you?"

_What? _Roxas yelled in his head._  
_

"What?" Xion and Namine both sputtered out their drinks.

"Oh, I see someone's popular with the ladies," Hayner smirked.

"Shut up. I don't like Kairi," Roxas rolled his eyes.

"You better not!" Xion and Namine said simultaneously.

"Yeah, Kairi's really mean. You don't want to get involved with her," Olette popped into the conversation.

"Olette! Don't tell me you like Roxy-chan too!" Hayner looked incredulous.

"You.. are a moron. Nobody likes anybody... _that_ way!" Roxas added the last part as an afterthought.

"That's not true!... I do!" Hayner looked proud of himself for a split second.

"Oh shit..." he muttered under his breath.

"...You're even stupider than Axel..." Namine muttered.

"Hey!"

"No offense Axel," Namine said quickly.

"...None taken, I guess.."

"So... who is it that you like Hayner?" Xion grinned.

"Uh... uh. No one special..." Hayner looked over to Pence for help.

"... I highly doubt that," Pence commented.

"Pence!" Hayner yelled.

"Oh, so Pence knows? Spill," Larxene got involved in it as well.

"... These people are ridiculous," Roxas told himself.

"Tell me about it," Zexion said with his nose in a book.

"Oh! Oh! I know who Hayner likes!" Demyx yelled over the commotion. Everyone turned to face him.

"What? I really do know who Hayner likes!" Demyx was hurt that his friends looked as though they didn't believe him.

"Then who?" Hayner crossed his arms.

"He likes OLE–"

"Shut the fuck up!" Hayner flicked a pea on Demyx's head.

"Ooooh... I get it!" Larxene's lips widened.

"That's sooo sweet! Isn't it Olette?" Namine smiled at her friend who turned beet red.

"Damn it!" Hayner hid his face from her.

"Is... is that true Hayner?" She looked at him shyly.

"... Yeah," Hayner said with his hands still covering his face. Olette smiled and gently took his hands away, she placed a soft kiss on his cheek and quickly looked away, turning even redder.

Hayner looked shocked. But when things finally settled in his head, he grinned at her. She smiled back.

"Sorry to ruin the moment but the bell's about to ring!" Pence interrupted.

"Pence!" Larxene, Xion, and Namine yelled at him.

"What?" Pence asked.

"*sigh*.. men," Larxene shook her head.

"Well.. whatever, show's over I guess," Namine sighed.

"You two love birds have your privacy, our classes are pretty far from here so we have to go now," Xion dragged Roxas and Namine with her.

"Ah! My lunch, I'm not done with it yet!"

"Shut it Roxy-chan," said Namine. The rest followed their lead and left Hayner and Olette alone. Not that they noticed anyway, all that they could see was each other, in their own little newly-discovered world.

* * *

"Good for them, right?" Xion smiled.

"Yeah, they make such a cute couple!" Namine crooned.

"..." Roxas didn't say anything.

"You there, the one that's being terribly quite, say something," Namine whacked Roxas's arm playfully.

"What? What do you want with me?" Roxas groaned. He just wanted to be left alone. He didn't get enough sleep that night, he really wasn't in the mood to talk, and all the thoughts about him and Sora are rushing back into his head. _Why is Xion acting normally? GAH!_

"We just want you to talk to us. Sheesh, grumpy," Xion stuck her tongue out at him.

"Don't tell us that you actually do like Kairi," Namine looked worried.

"No... it's not that. It's got nothing to do with Kairi... I think. I don't know anymore," Roxas laid his head on his desk and covered it with his arms.

"Roxas... please tell us what's wrong," said Namine.

"It doesn't concern you..." Roxas looked at Namine's eyes to make her believe him. Namine bit her lip and reluctantly let it go. Roxas turned to Xion and looked into her eyes searchingly. Xion looked away and Roxas didn't catch her gaze again.

Roxas sighed and decided to just work on the project in front of him.

* * *

"Roxas!" Sora called out to him when school ended.

"Oh, hi," Roxas didn't know how to act around him.

"Here, I finished all the Biology worksheets you gave me. I think I'm really starting to get Photosynthesis!" Sora grinned.

"Well, anyway, I have to go. My friends are probably looking for me. I haven't told them that I was being tutored by you. So, bye!" Sora left.

"What was that about Roxas?" Zexion was the first one to randomly pop out.

"Oh, he just gave me the worksheets so I could check them," Roxas told him.

"... When will you get paid?" Zexion asked.

"You just want to know when I'll be able to get the concert tickets..."

Zexion shrugged.

"I don't know yet," Roxas sighed.

"I already told the principal that I would be Sora's tutor. But I don't know when I 'll get paid."

"Well, you have to get the munny fast, the tickets are gonna be sold out soon," Demyx came in second.

"Yeah... I know."

"Why are you so out of it today Roxas?" Demyx asked.

"What?"

"I don't know, you just seem distraught," he said.

"Wow, I didn't even know you knew that word," Larxene commented.

"Hmph!" Demyx pouted and refused to look at her. Larxene tried hard not to laugh.

"I don't want to talk about it you guys..." Roxas told them. The others silently agreed not to ask about it anymore.

Hayner and Olette came in hand in hand with Pence in tow. Pence was taking pictures and both Hayner and Olette were blushing.

"Would you stop!" yelled Hayner.

"No way! This is the milestone of the year for our group! The first couple to form within our circle of friends," Pence said.

"Pence, maybe we should scrapbook this!" Namine whispered loudly.

"Yeah, I agree," said Xion.

"I think we should hang out somewhere today!" Axel proposed.

"And where would that be?" Larxene raised a brow.

"Hmm... Roxy-chan's!"

Roxas glared at Axel._ What part of 'leave me alone' does he not get?_

"You guys that's–" Roxas got cut off by Namine.

"Great! We'll meet in half an hour. I have to go run some errands first," Namine grinned wickedly at Roxas.

"Why?" Roxas mouthed feebly.

"So that you won't be all alone thinking about things that might drive you insane," Namine said out loud.

"Agreed!" exclaimed Axel. _I don't know whether to be touched or to be annoyed... _Roxas thought.

* * *

**_With Sora_**

"Hey Sora! Where were you?" Riku asked. Sora bit his lip. _Should I tell them?... Roxas is a really cool person, maybe they might like him too! _

"Oh, I made a new friend," said Sora.

"Who?" Kairi smiled.

"His name is Roxas Strife, he's really nice," said Sora.

"Strife? Why does that sound familiar?" Riku thought out loud.

"He's in our Physics class Riku," said Tidus.

"Oh... right that guy. Isn't he a bit of a nerd, Sora? And wasn't he the guy from the other day at lunch?" Riku asked.

"Well, he's smart yeah... But I found out that he's a cool guy."

"Hmm... haven't we met Roxas before Riku?" Kairi asked.

"No, I don't think so..." Riku pondered.

"Oh well. Let us meet him! We might know if we actually talk to him, right?" Kairi smiled at Sora.

"Sure! I'll ask him."

"Hey, how'd you meet this guy, Sora-kun?" Selphie asked.

"U–uh... well," _Damn it! Why can't I just tell them the truth about him tutoring me? _"I met him through..." _Think Sora think. Think of an excuse. _"A blitzball game."

"So he plays?" Riku asked, interested in this Roxas now.

"Uh.. yeah!" _I don't even know if he does! I'm in a whole lot of trouble now.. Please don't make it worse!_

"Invite him to play with us this weekend!" Tidus suggested.

"Yeah," Riku agreed. _...It just got worse._

"O–okay... I'll ask him."

_AHHHH WHAT DO I DO?_

_

* * *

_

"Hey Roxy-chan! We brought snacks!" Axel led the group in with soda cans and chips in his arms.

"Hi guys..." Roxas sighed.

"Teef, the guys are here," Roxas told her as they passed the kitchen.

"Okay, what do you want for dinner?" she asked.

"Hotpot!" said Axel.

"Ramen!" was Demyx.

"Pizza!" yelled Hayner.

"Sushi!" for Pence.

"Anything's fine," said Namine, Roxas, Larxene, Xion, Olette, and Zexion, eerily at the same time.

"Cake!" Denzel popped out of nowhere.

"Hmm.. Okay, so I'll make katsudon for everyone," said Tifa as she rummaged through the fridge and only found pork in the meat drawer.

"Awww..." said the ones who had a preference. But those who didn't mind just shrugged. Breaded pork sounded like a great idea.

"Then we'll have cake for dessert," Tifa winked at Denzel.

"Yay!" he cheered.

* * *

Roxas and his friends all just stayed in Roxas's room. They managed to fit comfortably in Roxas's medium sized room. But they did have to fight over who got the bed and the chairs and who got the floor.

"We haven't done this in a loooooong time," Demyx used his arms for emphasis and smacked Zexion in the face. Zexion's vein popped, but he restrained himself from shedding blood in Roxas's room.

"We did this last week..." Pence stared at Demyx blankly.

"But that's like..." Demyx paused in the middle to calculate how many hours it had been, but it took too long so he just opted for, "a lot of hours ago."

"True," Axel agreed.

"Besides! It's always fun to hang out at Roxy-chan's!" said Namine.

"What should we do now?" Larxene, who was getting bored, asked.

"Well, I'm assuming we all either finished our homework, didn't have any, or just don't care, so we might as well just play video games until Tifa calls us for dinner," said Pence.

"Then we shall play... Mario Kart Tournament!" Hayner pulled out Roxas's Wii.

The tournament was on. Halfway through the first race, Namine gave up and gave the steering wheel to Axel.

"Here, I can't play this game!" She pouted. Axel grinned at her.

"Don't worry Nami-chan! I'll definitely win for you!" she blushed and smiled back at Axel. She then plopped herself beside Roxas, who was watching the race without really paying attention.

"Hey... you've been awfully quiet," Namine nudged him.

"I don't have anything to say..." said Roxas.

"Oh.. I see, you're going through that 'emo-phase' again aren't you," Namine teased.

"What 'emo-phase'? I've never had an 'emo-phase'," Roxas looked at her weirdly.

"Are you sure?" She raised a brow.

"That one time doesn't count! It was just that one day, and I was feeling depressed because Ven took all my money and then left for college with it. We were in freaking junior high!" Roxas yelled.

"Uhuh. Sure.. Keep telling yourself that Roxas," she smirked.

"Whatever... this isn't an emo-phase. Mind you, it's actually worse."

"Then would you please tell me what's wrong so I could help?" she seemed exasperated.

"..."

"Roxas!" Roxas could tell that she was mad now.

"Okay!" Roxas threw his hands up in defense.

"Fine... apparently me and Sora used to be friends when we were younger. Remember how I keep on telling you that he did something terrible to me when we were younger? Well, I think it had something to do with that. And I'm getting all confused because everyone keeps on telling me to not get myself too attached to him."

"Everyone?" Namine asked.

"Xion, Tifa... and possibly Cloud-nii," Roxas sighed.

"...Xion knows? She knew all this time that you and Sora were friends?" she asked.

"Yeah, she was the one who told me," said Roxas.

"But why did she hide it all this time? Does she know what happened between you two?" Namine asked.

"I don't know why she hid it. But I do know that yes, she does know what happened. Trouble is she's not saying anything. She's even acting like nothing happened!" Roxas pointed at Xion who was currently too engrossed in the race.

"She has to have a reason for this Roxas... Don't worry, I'll ask her about it," said Namine.

"I didn't think that you'd understand why I'm so upset Namine," Roxas told her.

"... To be honest, I don't fully understand. But since you're hurting, and you're my best friend, I'll do anything to make you feel better, even if I don't know exactly what's going on," Namine smiled. Roxas's features softened. He smiled at her and pulled her in for a hug.

The race ended and Axel had won. He turned to tell Namine, but when he did his face fell at what he saw. He quickly caught it and plastered a smile on it.

Xion saw it too, and she frowned at the sight.


	6. Chapter 5

**Author's note: **Hey all! Here's chapter 5! Sorry fro the _extreme_ delay... (_ _) But it's much longer than the other chapters! ^-^

* * *

**_With Sora_**

The next day... _Okay.. All I have to do is just ask him casually... "Do you play blitzball?" And if he says yes, then that's great! If he says no... well... I'll deal with that when I get there... Okay! ? Okay! ? Why am I yelling at myself? ! Okay... calm down... Argh! Why am I so nervous?_

"Ah! Roxas!" Sora called out to Roxas, who was just getting out of the school.

"Oh, hey," Roxas looked as though he was confused.

"Erm, uh, I was just wondering... D–do you.. uh, play blitzball?" Sora twiddled his thumbs.

"What?" Roxas was apparently distracted with his thoughts that he didn't hear Sora.

"I was wondering if you played blitzball," Sora said louder.

"Oh... Yeah... Why?" Roxas said.

"Well, Riku wanted me to invite you to his house to play blitzball this weekend, you know, after you tutoring me..." Sora trailed off.

"..." Roxas didn't answer. _I knew it... This wasn't going to work out like I planned... Well, anyway, I could just tell them that Roxas was busy._

"I understand if you don't want to go," said Sora.

"What? Oh, yeah sure, I'll go."

"You will?" Sora's eyes got big.

"Yeah..." Roxas shook his head, as if he were trying to get rid of troubling thoughts.

"Cool! So, um, we'll go straight there after tutoring on Saturday, is that cool?" Sora smiled.

Roxas nodded.

"Well, bye Roxas!" Sora waved and left.

"Bye..."

* * *

**_With Roxas_**

_Shit. What the hell did I just put myself into? Blitzball with Sora **AND **Riku? Crap. I'm not thinking properly! Stupid troubling... troubles! And I can't even think of another word to call it! _

"We'll see you tomorrow!" his friends waved at him.

"Bye you guys!" Roxas waved back. Namine stayed behind to talk to Roxas.

"Roxas... I'm going to talk to Xion as soon as I can. I've been trying to get her alone all today, but I think she knows that I know... Anyway, I'm gonna try harder, don't worry, I'll help you get the truth out of her," said Namine. She patted Roxas's shoulder and left to find Axel.

Roxas felt relieved. He had been tense all day, wondering whether what he told Namine last night was just a dream or not, because Namine wasn't saying anything.

* * *

The next day, Roxas was called into the principal's office during lunch.

"Mr. Strife," Principal Ansem the wise nodded.

"Sir.." Roxas nodded as well.

"It seems as though you've made some progress on Sora. Apparently he's been paying attention in both Biology and Algebra II. To reward you, I'll give you your first pay check in advance. Of course, if Sora shows more prowess academically, I'll give you a bonus," the principal quirked a smile.

"Thank you sir," Roxas accepted the pay check with gritted teeth. Oh how he hated this guy.

"It's not a lot, but it's enough, I believe, for you to keep on wanting to work as Mr. Leonhart's tutor."

"Thanks again sir... I'll be taking my leave now," Roxas bowed on his way out.

* * *

Once he got far away from people that might see him, he took the pay check out of the envelope and looked at the amount.

"Geh. Only 5000 munny?" Demyx said from behind Roxas.

"That's more than you'd ever make," Zexion pulled Demyx away from Roxas.

"Pssh... Demyx could do better than 5000 munny, right?" Demyx spoke in third person.

"No, Demyx couldn't. Not in a million years," Axel snickered.

"Shut up." Demyx pouted.

"Anway, 5000 munny will be enough to buy five tickets. But not enough for all ten of us. I guess we couldn't just rely on Roxas after all," Olette said dejectedly.

"Okay, we need 5000 more munny by the end of this week. The concert is on Saturday. We've got to get jobs," Hayner suggested.

"Alright, well, I have a few saved munny in my house, I think that would cover my expenses," Pence offered.

"You had 1000 munny all this time and you didn't care to tell me?" Roxas asked.

"Yeah, I thought you had it all covered," Pence shrugged.

"Whatever... anyway, the others need to find jobs," Hayner said.

"But how do we know whose tickets we're going to buy with the 5000 munny we have now?" Namine asked.

"Simple! Roxas gets one ticket, because he earned the money, and the other four... we'll play for it!" Axel pointed out.

"Play for it?" Roxas asked.

"You know, rock paper scissors, whoever the first four winners are, they get the tickets," said Axel.

"That's... kinda... unfair, don't you think Roxas should just pick?" Xion asked.

"Actually, that's even more unfair. I think it's fine this way. You guys would only be gambling your luck," said Roxas.

"But I'm not a very lucky person..." Xion muttered.

"Don't worry about it!" Axel grinned toothily at her.

"Fine."

In the end, the people that already had tickets were Roxas, Olette, Axel, Demyx(surprisingly had enough luck to win), Zexion, and Pence(because he had the 1000 munny in his house). The people that had to work were Namine, Larxene, Hayner, and Xion.

"Alright, well, that's decided," said Hayner. The bell rang not too soon afterward.

* * *

Saturday came and the time to play blitzball with Sora's friends was drawing nearer. Roxas's friends had already got enough money, and they bought the tickets for the concert already. After the game, he would shower, get dressed and head to the concert with his friends. But before that...

Only a few more pages and Sora would have finished the packet that Roxas gave him. Then the session would be over. Then... he'd have to go play with... Riku. _It would be alright... Right? I mean, I'm doing fine with Sora right now... And I thought that I'd be real awkward with him after what Xion told me... But... No buts! It's going to be fine. It's just blitzball. Besides, I love playing blitzball. _Roxas tried to calm himself.

He never did well with talking to strangers, not that he'd ever admit it, but it was one of his many weaknesses.

"Finished!" Sora exclaimed.

"What? !" Roxas yelled.

"Huh? Roxas, what's wrong?" Sora looked worried.

"Oh. Haha. Nothing.. Sorry. I must've been day dreaming," Roxas scratched the back of his neck.

"Silly... Anyway, you brought your swimming clothes right?" Sora asked.

"Yeah..." sighed Roxas.

"Well, Riku has a place for us to change in his house so, we could leave now," said Sora. He headed for the front door with swimming trunks in one hand

"O–okay," Roxas stammered. He gulped and followed Sora.

"Riku's house is just around the corner, we used to be next door neighbors, but he moved to a bigger house. It's still not that far from here though, we could just walk there," Sora told him.

"Is that alright with you?" Sora turned to look at Roxas.

"Yeah, that's fine," Roxas tried his best to give a convincing smile.

They got to Riku's house, that was also too big to be called a house, in just ten minutes. Sora rang the door bell and Riku answered. Riku had been wearing a shirt and swimming shorts.

"Sora! Hey! And you must be Roxas, nice to meet you!" Riku flashed him a smile that would've been enough to melt Roxas's heart, if he was a girl... Or gay. Of which he was neither.

"Nice to meet you too," Roxas grinned at him as well. Kairi, clad in short shorts and a bikini top, came to the front door to greet him as well. She was shocked to see that Roxas was taller than her, then she smiled at him shyly, a light blush glazing her cheeks.

"H–hi, I'm Kairi, nice to meet you!" Kairi held out her hand.

"I'm Roxas," he took her hand and shook it. Kairi's blush deepened. Roxas and Sora went inside Riku's house.

"You guys could change in my room, me and Tidus are still setting up outside," said Riku. As soon as both Roxas and Sora were out of sight, Kairi made a dash for Selphie to tell her all about Roxas.

"So, are you up for this Roxas?" Sora smirked.

"Sure..." Roxas was distracted again. _Putting up a smiling front for this long was harder than I thought... _

"You okay?" Sora asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine... just kinda... nervous I guess. I've never actually met these people before," said Roxas.

"Well, they're all really nice! And don't worry, they'll like you! I like you so... yeah, don't worry," Sora grinned. Roxas couldn't help but grin back.

* * *

After they changed, they headed out to Riku's backyard, where he had an overground pool that was at least twenty feet deep and at least sixty feet wide; Riku's back yard was huge. Perfect for practicing blitzball with a small amount of people.

"Roxas... Just to be sure... you and Xion aren't dating or anything right?" Sora asked Roxas before the went into the large overground pool.

"No, why?" Roxas looked at Sora. He was feeling much more comfortable now.

"Well... Just... uh.. wondering..." Sora blushed. Roxas smiled at the sight. _Cute... Whoa... Whoa! Whoa! What the hell? **CUTE?**_

Roxas didn't answer back and Sora's blush just deepened, but Roxas didn't see it.

* * *

The game was on. Riku, Kairi, and Tidus were in one team, Sora, Selphie, and Roxas in another. Roxas took on the role of defender, and so did Selphie. Sora was their team's scorer. Riku was the scorer for his team. Tidus and Kairi were defenders.

The game started and Riku got first possession of the ball. Selphie rushed in and tried to block Riku. But Riku swam too fast and broke through Selphie's defense. Sora had to try and steal the ball from Riku before he got too close to the goal. Roxas and Sora double teamed Riku so that he had to pass the ball to Tidus.

Tidus was being guarded by Selphie, and he had a hard time trying to find an opening to pass it to Kairi, who was closer to the goal than Riku. From behind, Sora swooped in and stole the ball. Doing a flip in the water, he threw the ball to Roxas, who caught it and swam to the goal.

He swam so fast that Sora had trouble keeping up with him, and Sora was the fastest swimmer in the whole blitzball team. Riku, Tidus, Kairi, and Selphie were left behind and Roxas passed the ball to Sora, who shot it in the goal. After scoring the first goal, Roxas, Sora, and Selphie tried their best to keep the ball away from Riku, Tidus and Kairi, until the time ran down.

However, near the end of the first half, Kairi got the ball from Selphie, she then threw it to Tidus, who covered a lot of ground before passing it to Riku, who then scored their team's first goal.

Then it was half time.

"Wow, Roxas, you swim pretty fast," Kairi commented.

"Thanks," Roxas smiled.

"Yeah, you were just like... woosh!" Selphie used her hands for emphasis.

"Th–thank you," Roxas could feel the blush creeping up his face. He never did well with compliments from strangers. Especially if the strangers were girls.

"Anyway, good job out there Roxas! But the game's not over yet!" Tidus grinned. Riku smirked.

"Yeah, we're tied, and there's only five minutes left!" said Riku.

"Please Riku, don't be so competitive," Sora rolled his eyes. The second half started after both teams huddled up and discussed their tactics. The second half was uneventful. Riku got the possession as soon as it started, and he scored quickly.

Roxas's team did the same thing they did in the first half, except Roxas had barely escaped Riku when he tried to swim away with the ball. And when he got close to the goal, Kairi was there waiting for him, and he had to do a back flip to avoid running into her.

He passed the ball to Sora and he barely made the goal in time.

When the last half ended, they were at a tie.

"Good game you guys!" Sora gave everyone a high five.

"Yeah! Roxas, we're definitely going to beat you next time!" Riku smirked.

"Roxas, you're such a good swimmer! Why didn't you join the team?" Kairi asked.

"I... uh.. I couldn't join the team at the time when Coach Wakka offered me. I had some conflicting issues I had to deal with... Then after that... I guess I just couldn't find it in me to join." Roxas said vaguely. Kairi nodded, understanding.

"That's a shame! You should've joined! Then our Varsity team wouldn't suck so much!" Selphie winked at Riku.

"Shut up Selphie! Our Varsity team is BEASTLY! Because I'm in it!" Riku playfully hit her arm.

"No! It's beastly because _I'm _in it!" Tidus smirked.

"Oh you guys, please. The JV team is twice as beastly as the Varsity team. And when I'm in Varsity next year, _that _team would be three times as beastly. You know why? 'Cause of _me!_" Sora grinned.

"Shut up Sora!" Kairi laughed and splashed water in his face. When Sora wiped the water off of his face, he put a mock-hurt look, and splashed water back.

It turned into a giant water fight. But Roxas quietly sneaked away from it.

He didn't feel as awkward as before, but he didn't feel all that comfortable with them.

**_

* * *

_**

In a cafe somewhere near the high school, Namine, by pure luck, spotted Xion working behind the counter. Namine had been working at this cafe for the whole week, but she never knew that Xion worked there as well. She put on her apron and quietly went behind the counter herself. She needed to take this opportunity to speak to Xion.

"Hey," she nudged Xion.

"Oh! Namine! I didn't know you worked here too," Xion grinned.

"Well, after Hayner told us to go get jobs for the concert tonight, I've been working here. Actually, I already earned my money so I don't have to continue doing this, but I like it," Namine smiled gently.

"I earned my money too. But I agree, the job is so easy, and everyone is so nice. The pay isn't that bad either," Xion commented.

"Yeah..."

"Anyway, I think I'm gonna keep this job!" Xion grinned.

"Cool! We could be work buddies!" Namine clapped her hands.

Xion raised a brow.

"What? We could," Namine said defensively.

"Uhuh.. Sure," Xion shook her head.

"Anyway, I need to talk to you about something," Namine began.

"Oh, well, can we wait until our break?" Xion gestured at the waiting customers in the cafe.

"Yeah.. okay."

* * *

"What did you want to talk about?" Xion asked.

"...Roxas told me... about what you told him," Namine looked at her eyes.

Xion didn't answer.

"He told me that you knew about him and Sora being friends when they were younger. He... also mentioned that he asked if Sora used to cut his wrists, but you didn't answer," Namine continued.

"That's none of your business..." Xion looked away.

"It is! Xion, Roxas is our friend. Our _best_ friend. And Sora is your brother! I _am_ concerned in this, and since you know what's going on, you are too!" Namine grabbed her shoulders. Xion shrugged Namine's hands off and turned her back toward her.

"I don't want to talk about it."

"Please Xion! I want to know so I can help!"

"..."

"Please!" Namine pleaded. Namine made Xion turn to face her again and Xion took a deep breath.

"...Okay... I'll tell you," Xion sighed.

"When Roxas and Sora were younger, they used to be friends. The best of friends. They would go to music school together, Sora would hang out at Roxas's house, and vice-versa. The thing is, we, the siblings, didn't really know who Roxas was because we never got to see him.

"So anyway, Sora met Riku one day. And Riku became his new best friend. Sora stopped going to music school. I think Roxas was hurt, and he tried to confront Sora about it. I'm not too certain, but I think they got into a fight, so then he came to our house the next day to apologize. But... that didn't turn out very well.

"Roxas and Sora ended up fighting even more. Eventually, they said some words that ruined their friendship. _That_ I know for sure, I was there, I saw it. I heard what Sora said, and I heard what Roxas said. And they were both unreasonable. However, when Roxas left, Sora realized the mistake he had done.

"I wasn't able to stop Sora from doing it. H–he*Xion's breath hitched* grabbed a pair of scissors from my room. I followed him to his room to make sure that he didn't do anything bad with it, and I was too scared to touch him because he could've stabbed me. But he locked himself in his bathroom..." Xion sniffled.

"I banged on the door so hard, but he wouldn't open it. Suddenly, I heard a thud from inside. I was so scared. My baby brother collapsed in the bathroom. I didn't know what to do, so I called my parents... They got the door open and saw that Sora had mutilated his wrists with the scissors... They took him to a psychiatrist, and after that, my parents told me not to say anything to my other siblings.

"I was so scared..." Xion broke down on the ground, crying. Namine draped her arms over Xion's shoulders, and rubbed her back.

"Shhh... It's okay Xion," Namine tried to comfort her.

"...Namine, whatever you do, do _not _tell Roxas," Xion wiped her eyes and looked at Namine pleadingly. Namine bit her lip, reluctant to agree.

"Okay, I swear, but... Xion... tell me the reason why you're not telling Roxas any of this," Namine told her.

"I'm trying... I'm trying to protect the one I love!" Xion's eyes got tearful.

"...You... love Roxas?" Namine asked.

Xion didn't answer. She left without a word, and Namine's head was left spinning.

* * *

Roxas got home and quickly dressed. Larxene had just texted him. She'll be at his house to pick him up in a few minutes for the concert. She brought her beat up old van to pick everyone up so that they'll carpool to the concert.

"Hey there!" Roxas said when he got into the van.

"Yo! So, you're the first one I picked up, then we'll go to Namine's then to..." but Roxas's train of thought drowned her out because he didn't care who they were going to pick up next.

However, when they got to Namine's house, Namine's troubled expression got Roxas to pay attention to his surroundings instead of just spacing out.

"What's wrong?" Roxas mumbled. Larxene was humming to the song that was playing on the radio, so she couldn't hear them.

"...I need to talk to you," Namine said.

"...Okay, let's talk after the concert, is that alright?" Roxas asked.

"Yeah... it's about... I talked to Xion," said Namine.

"..." Roxas didn't know what to say. They stopped at Xion's house next, and Namine and Roxas couldn't talk about it anymore. Xion had acted normally. As if she and Namine didn't have the talk. And it was freaking Namine out.

When they got to Axel's house, after going to everyone else's houses, he noticed that Namine was jittery.

"Nami-chan.. You okay?" Axel asked.

"J–just peachy!" Namine squeaked.

"I think you need to get a drink, I'll treat you to one after the concert," Axel winked.

"Thanks Axel..." said Namine.

"No prob."

* * *

The concert started and all of Namine's, Roxas's and Xion's worries went away. They had all forgotten about the whole Sora incident and they were just enjoying themselves, and getting lost in the songs.

They didn't want it to end. But eventually, it did. The singer's voice died out because he had to sing over thousands and thousands of screaming fans. But it was an enjoyable experience. Roxas actually felt proud that they, the fans, made the lead singer lose his voice.

After the concert ended, Axel stuck to his promise, and took Namine out for coffee. They told Larxene that they didn't need a ride, and they would just walk to the coffee shop. Axel's house was very close to the coffee shop and where the concert was held so they could just walk to Axel's house, and Axel could give Namine a ride home.

"Well, bye you guys!" Namine waved.

"Bye!" Roxas waved.

"Hey Axel, don't do anything to Namine!" Xion teased.

"Be careful with Namine or else!" Larxene threatened.

"Take care!" Demyx shouted.

"Play nice!" Hayner and Olette commented.

"Get me some doughnuts if they have some!" Pence took out his camera and took a picture of Axel and Namine together.

"Can you give this book back to the lady working at the coffee shop?" Zexion handed the book to Axel. Axel raised a brow.

"I just finished it right now," Zexion shrugged.

"Dude, why carry a book to a concert?" Demyx smacked his shoulder.

"Because I can," Zexion slapped Demyx's face, playfully.

"Anyway, bye you guys!" Larxene waved one last time and got into the driver's seat. The others followed suit and seated themselves in her van.

**_

* * *

_**

**_With Sora After the Blitzball game, right before the concert_**

"Look! We can't keep this up anymore! Sora and Marlene are asking for you. Our children need you to be here!" His mother yelled. Sora stopped dead in his tracks; he could tell that she was crying.

"You know I can't stay," His father sounded cold, and unfeeling.

"Why? Because you don't love me anymore? Is that it? Goddammit! Our children need us to be together! Marlene's not even in middle school yet! I don't want her to face puberty without two parents!"

"What's the point if her two parents don't love each other anymore? !" His father sounded frustrated, angry even.

"That's not true! I still love you! I love you so much, why can't you see that?"

His father didn't answer.

"Did you even know that Sora's grades are slipping, and that Xion and Sora aren't on good terms, and that Vanitas hasn't been going to his classes, and that Squall is trying his very best to be a father figure for Marlene?"

Again, no answer.

"Fine. I don't care anymore. Leave for Christ's sake. I'll even sign the divorce papers. I was dumb to even ask you to be a father to my children now... because you never were," His mother was calm. Sora noticed that she had stopped crying.

"Okaa-chan," Sora came in. He didn't want their argument to end like that. They had to resolve it. For _Sora's_ sake. He can't have his parents divorced. He won't stand for it.

"S–sora! How long?..."

"I heard enough Okaa-chan... Please, don't end things like this," Sora could feel tears behind his eyes.

"Son, there's nothing we can do about this... Your mother already agreed to sign the divorce papers," His dad looked at him.

Sora just glared.

"... I... need to go," Sora turned on his heel and slammed the door open.

"Sora! Sora honey! Wait! Where are you–"

"I'm going out!" Sora yelled. Then he slammed the door shut.

* * *

**_With Roxas after the concert  
_**

"Bye you guys!" Roxas grinned and waved at his friends. Larxene was dropping everyone off in her van.

"That was fun," Roxas smiled to himself. Today had been a better day than he had expected. The blitzball game was fun, and the concert was no less than amazing.

He took out his keys to unlock the front door when suddenly he stopped.

"What in in the _fuck_? !" Roxas cursed.

"Roxas..." Sora looked up and his tear streaked face was red and puffy.

"Sora? What are you doing here?" Roxas saw his face and felt sorry for the boy. He helped him up from his front porch and looked into his eyes.

"What happened? What's wrong?" Roxas asked as he made Sora face him by holding Sora's face.

"Shit, Sora, you're burning up! What in the world happened?" Roxas asked worriedly.

"Roxas..." Sora whispered and more tears fell from his face.

"Sora, don't worry. I'll take care of you, come on, we need to get you inside, it's freezing out here!" Roxas tried to sling Sora's arm over his shoulder to help him into his house, but he found that it was taking too long so he set Sora down for a while.

He took out his keys and fumbled with the lock. He got the door open, scooped Sora up, and carefully carried him in his house and up to his room. He laid Sora down on his bed and looked at the clock.

"It's nearly one am, how long have you been out there?" Roxas asked.

"...Since... eight..." Sora whispered.

"Damn. You should've called! Or rang the bell!..."

"I didn't have your phone number," Sora mumbled feebly.

"God. Okay, don't worry, just sleep for now okay? I'll bring up some fever patches, medicine, and blankets," Roxas left the room in a hurry.

_Crap... I guess I spoke too soon when I said that today wasn't as bad a day as I expected... Damn it. What happened to him? And, of all people, why'd he come to me?_


	7. Chapter 6

**Author's Note: **Yeah... So, this chapter's late too... hahahaha... I'M SOOOOOOOO SORRY! Oh yes, and I've finally got a critique instead of a compliment as a review! I've taken it to heart and decided to try to be more consistent, i hope... Yeah, anyway, most of these chapters are already preplanned so I _have_ thought some of it through quite a bit. However, there _are_ some spontaneous events that I put when I saw fit as I went along. Apparently, those events need to be better explained. I don't feel like revising what I had already wrote so, from _this_ chapter on, I'll try to be more focused on the main pairing, which _is_ Roxas/Sora.

And I'm not being defensive here, I'm just responding to the review as casually as I can possibly be.

This story _is _a fangirl story, and I started writing it purely because I saw the lack of cutesy-drama Roxas/Sora fanfics; I have been craving some for quite a long time. Mostly this story is to satisfy my(and those who are like me, in the sense that they're looking for these types of stories too) thirst for a shoujo-manga-type of romance story relating Roxas and Sora. It's _not supposed to be deep _though it tries to be... But I do understand what the reviewer meant about being well-developed and consistent.

And I will try to develop the plot as well as I can while being consistent to the events that had already happened. Though I can't promise it actually being consistent to _real _life. So if you clicked on this looking for a probable realistic-fiction story, I'm sorry, it's not.

I just want to make it clear that this story has dramatic(and _improbable_) events all over the place because I'm trying to mimic some shojou manga that are over exaggerating the drama that can occur in one high schooler's life. Hence the title "Not Another High School Fanfic." I should probably change the title to something more fitting, but I can't think of one for now. If someone could kindly suggest a better title, please do so.

Also, I'm really glad that someone actually critiqued this. It helps me write better.

Reviews are very much appreciated, whether they're compliments or critiques, I just ask, no I _beg_, please don't flame. I, nor any other writer for that matter, can't tolerate rudeness, specifically rudeness towards the writing which is indirectly towards the author. So if you don't like, don't read, and PLEASE, don't say anything nasty.(not saying that that review was a flame, but yeah...)

Whew. That was long, anyway, I've taken so much of your time already by rambling(That is if you actually read this). Enjoy! I'm really sorry again for the lateness, I've been very busy in the last few months.

* * *

When Sora woke up, Roxas wasn't in the room. Carefully, he tried to get out of the bed. But as soon as he stood up, he felt the room spinning around him. He collapsed in a sitting position back onto the bed and Roxas, having been just outside the room talking to Tifa, heard the noise and rushed in the room.

"Are you alright?" Roxas asked, genuinely concerned.

"Yeah, just had a little head rush," Sora smiled as he clutched his head.

"Good..." Roxas muttered as he let out a sight of relief.

"What... happened?" Sora looked into Roxas's eyes.

"Last night, you got a fever. I don't know what caused your temperature to spike that much, but I managed to get it down. Anyway... you didn't tell me why you suddenly popped up on my porch last night."

"S–sorry for barging in here like that..." Sora trailed off.

Roxas wanted to be mad at Sora for randomly causing him trouble by almost fainting in front of his house, but, for precisely that reason, he just couldn't find it in him to be mad.

"... I don't mind, just... tell me why, of all the people you know who live closer to you than I do, did you come to me? And how did you know where I lived in the first place?" Roxas asked.

"Honestly... I don't know the answer to both questions. My feet just... pulled me here. It's kinda random, I know. And I might be causing you inconveniences, and I apologize for that. But for some reason, I really wanted to see you..." Sora looked down.

"... Sora... I'm... pretty sure that I'm not your best friend, and that Riku or Kairi is, so.. not to be rude or anything, why didn't you go to their house instead?" Roxas asked.

"... You're a friend, Roxas," Sora completely ignored Roxas's question. Roxas gave a questioning look into Sora's eyes, as if the gesture would ask the same question again.

True enough, Sora got the message and sighed. "Seriously Roxas, I don't know. I don't know why. Maybe because I've come to trust you over the past two weeks?... Even that sounds stupidly random... I _honestly_ don't know..." Sora shook his head. Roxas could tell that Sora was telling the truth, so he decided not to press it further.

"... Okay, I believe you," Roxas sighed. "One more thing though... what happened to you last night–"

"Roxas! Breakfast!" Tifa called from downstairs. Roxas huffed.

"Hold that thought, let's eat first, okay?" Roxas smiled. Sora nodded as his stomach coincidentally growled.

"Coming Teef!" Roxas yelled back.

* * *

"So, Sora right?" Denzel asked as soon as Sora came down the stairs.

"Yeah," Sora smiled awkwardly.

"Can I call you Sora-nii like Marlene does?" asked Denzel.

"Sure," Sora's smile broadened.

"Nice to meet you Sora-nii!" Denzel grinned, which eerily looked like Roxas's grin.

"Whoa," Sora and Tifa said at the same time.

"You're starting to look more and more like Roxas and Ven, Denzel-chan!" Tifa ruffled his hair.

"Cool! Does that mean I'm also starting to look like Cloud now?" Denzel looked up at said person.

"Sure does buddy," Cloud ruffled his hair too.

Sora couldn't help but smile at Denzel's actions, it reminded him somewhat of himself when he was younger.

"So, today Sora can sit in Ven's seat," Tifa motioned at the seat right next to Roxas's.

"Teef! You said _I_ could have Ven's seat!" Denzel pouted.

"Just for today hun, we have a guest," Tifa sighed and smiled gently.

"Okay..." Denzel's face softened, and Cloud laughed. Something that Sora thought was strange; even though he barely just met Cloud, he thought that Cloud wasn't the type to show much emotion.

"Alright! Today's breakfast is!" Tifa turned around and grabbed a stack of, "Pancakes!"

Sora was trying to be as polite as he can be, but he couldn't help but say, "I LOVE pancakes!~"

Roxas tried to hide a smile, but Cloud caught him, and raised a brow. Roxas shook his head, and Cloud just shrugged.

Breakfast was nothing special, but for the first time in a long time, Sora felt like a part of a family. A real _loving_ family. Sora realized that meals at his house were filled forced smiles–sad, lonely, and empty; sometimes it was just Sora and Marlene. Sora shook the depressing thought away, and concentrated on eating the mountain of pancakes laid on his plate.

* * *

Roxas and Sora went up, back to Roxas's room, after breakfast.

"So, would you mind telling me what happened to you last night?" Roxas began and plopped down on his bed.

"... It's... really painful. And I don't feel like talking about it after I just got cheered up," Sora looked away and sat next to Roxas.

"I'm sure it can't be that bad... it's not like your parents died or something," Roxas rolled his eyes.

"I'd rather them be dead than divorced," Sora muttered. Then he gasped and looked at Roxas.

"I'm sorry.. I didn't mean it that way... Oh gosh. I'm so sorry," Sora quickly turned to Roxas and apologized.

"It's okay, I know what you mean... Well, sorta," Roxas quirked a smile.

"So, your parents are going to get divorced?" asked Roxas.

"Yeah... it seems like it," Sora looked at his hands.

"And that was the reason why you were so upset last night?"

"Yes. And I'm really sorry about what I said before, that was very insensitive of me." Sora couldn't help but think about what he said earlier.

"It's really alright Sora. You don't have to apologize." Roxas smiled.

"Yeah, but, I just feel bad. At least I would still have my parents when they get divorced..." Silence stayed for a few seconds.

"Tell me... how did you cope when your parents..." Sora broke it and trailed off.

"Died?" Roxas asked. Sora nodded.

"Well... My parents died when I was very young, I barely even remember how I felt. All I know is that the strongest emotion I can recall was loneliness. At that time, I was so sad that Cloud decided to send me to a music school so that I can express my emotions through music.

"I made a friend in that music school. I don't know where he is now though, because he just suddenly disappeared from my life." Roxas ended.

"Music school huh... I used to go to a music school too," said Sora. Roxas's ears perked up. He remembered the book in Sora's room.

"Really? Which one?" Roxas asked as if he didn't know already.

"Aerith Gainsborough Music School," said Sora.

"I... went to that one too. I wonder why I don't remember seeing you there," said Roxas.

"Really? That's weird. But honestly, I don't remember too much about going there. I don't even know how to play the piano anymore. The only reason why I know I went there was because I kept a piano book from there," Sora laughed.

"Well, maybe you should try learning the piano again. It might help you with your parents' divorce you know," Roxas told him _Hmm... there's something really odd about why I don't remember seeing Sora at the music school. A part of me tells me that I didn't... But another part tells me that it's possible._

"Really? You think I should?" asked Sora.

"Y–yeah, why not?" Roxas was quickly pulled from his thoughts.

"Well, I don't have anyone to teach me, and the school's been closed for a while. I don't know any other places that teach piano," said Sora.

"Well, if you want, I could teach you," Roxas blurted out. _For someone who doesn't like Sora, I say an awful lot of things to get me to hang out with him more... _Roxas mentally scolded himself.

"You play? I mean, you _still _play?" Sora's eyes widened.

"Yeah, why is that so surprising?" Roxas raised a brow.

"Well, I mean, I don't see a piano in the house, so I assumed that you didn't play anymore," Sora explained.

"Oh, actually, we do have a piano," Roxas pointed out.

"Really?" Sora's eyes widened even more. _If they get even more wide I swear they'd pop out of their sockets. _Roxas thought.

"Yeah, it's in our basement," said Roxas.

"That's so cool! Can I see it?" Sora was so excited that he was almost bouncing with energy.

"Yeah, sure," Roxas smiled.

* * *

Roxas and Sora went down in the basement where a lot of their old things were kept. Some of them were junk that they found really hard to throw, and some of them were just plain _junk._

"It's a little dusty down here, so if you have allergies we'll get out of here," said Roxas.

"Oh no, it's fine, I don't have allergies," Sora smiled.

"Okay then," Roxas shrugged and grabbed a duster. He dusted the old piano and hoped that the keys were still tuned. Grabbing a chair, he placed it near the stool so that Sora could sit beside him and watch.

"I'm sorry but it's been a long time since I last touched this old thing. I don't even know if the keys are still tuned," Roxas apologized.

"Just try and see!" Sora really wanted to hear Roxas play.

"Well, here goes nothing," Roxas pressed on the middle C note softly. It sounded about right. Then he played a C major scale just to get his fingers used to it.

"Do you have any songs that you can still play?" Sora asked.

"Actually, I think I kept this one song that I learned from the music school. It was my favorite song... Hang on, I think it's under the stool," Roxas stood up from the stool and lifted the seat up.

There were a variety of piano books stacked neatly over each other. Sifting through the books, he quickly found five loose sheets that looked worn out. Laying them on the stand in order, Roxas glanced through the notes making sure that he remembered it right. He took a deep breath and started playing the melody.

Sora read the title of the song. _"Dearly Beloved"_... _why does it sound so familiar?_

When Roxas finished, he didn't notice that he had closed his eyes and had completely lost himself in the song. He opened his eyes and turned to look at Sora.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"Huh? What?" Sora snapped from his trance and noticed that his cheeks were wet. He quickly wiped his eyes and face.

"Whoa... where did that come from?" Sora laughed.

"I'm sorry..." Roxas apologized.

"What? You don't need to apologize Roxas... That was beautiful. I think it was so beautiful that I started crying!" Sora lied. _It was beautiful... So painfully beautiful... Why does my chest hurt?_

"Thank you... But are you sure you're alright?" Roxas asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine! I just can't help but think that I've heard that song from somewhere before," Sora smiled. Then he shook his head.

"Anyway, I was thinking maybe we could start my first piano lesson today?" Sora asked.

"Sure," Roxas smiled. He scooted over so that Sora could sit beside him on the stool.

"So, what do you think you remember from the music school," Roxas tried to help Sora remember.

"Hmm... well, I know that it goes from C," Sora pressed the C note, "Then D, then E, all the way up to C again," said Sora.

"That's good, so you do remember something," Roxas commented.

"Well, no, actually, I remember that from this one show I watched." Roxas sweatdropped.

"... That's not a bad thing... But, okay, anyway, what else do you know then?" Roxas asked.

"Er, well, I know that the black keys have something to do with sharps and flats," Sora offered.

"Okay, okay, then we can start with that. But, maybe you should try doing the C major scale first," Roxas said.

"That what now?" Sora was lost.

Roxas laughed. "The C major scale. It's an eight note scale that goes from C to C." Roxas showed him what he meant.

"Oh... I get it," Sora nodded. He laid his fingers on the keys and imitated what Roxas did.

"That's it! You got that pretty quick. Well, I guess you would since you've had lessons before," Roxas turned to look at Sora. But Sora's face turned pale and aghast.

"Sora... Sora?" Roxas tried.

_Whoa... That felt weird. Why does playing the piano make my chest hurt? It can't be the piano right? That makes no sense... _Sora thought and tried the scale again. He felt a pang shoot up from his wrist directly to his heart. And tears started forming again.

"Sora! Are you alright?" Roxas shook Sora's shoulders.

"W–what?" Sora shook his head.

"You're crying again..." Roxas wiped Sora's tears off of his face with his thumb. All of the sudden Roxas's hands froze, and he quickly pulled them back. _Shit, what was that? Why did I do that? _Roxas thought.

"I... I don't think I can play the piano..." Sora stood up abruptly.

"Sora? What's wrong?"

"I don't know, but my chest hurts..." Sora clutched himself. Worried, Roxas quickly led Sora up stairs.

* * *

"I'm sorry."

"You don't need to apologize," Roxas rubbed Sora's back.

"No, it's weird. Normally, people wouldn't have chest pains when they're playing the piano," Sora looked at Roxas with tear-filled eyes.

"It's really alright Sora. Nothing bad happened. All I have to worry about is finding you a new outlet for your emotions," Roxas smiled.

"Roxas, it's not your problem, it's mine. You don't have to help me," Sora said.

"Well, you were the one who came to me. I want to help you Sora," Roxas placed his hand on Sora's shoulder.

"No. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have come here. I'm just causing you trouble, maybe I should go," Sora looked at the ground.

"Sora, I want to help you! And I'm going to help you!" Roxas all but exploded. Sora was taken aback, but he couldn't argue with Roxas anymore.

"Alright..."

Roxas stood up and went to a nearby dresser. He pulled out several sheets of blank paper, crayons, colored pencils, charcoal pencils, and water color, and paint. Sora looked at the items curiously.

"...Oh no. You want me to draw?" Sora looked at him incredulously.

"What? Drawing is fun!" Roxas grinned.

"Yeah, for people that _can _draw. Honestly, the best thing I can draw is a line, and it's not even straight!" Sora exaggerated.

"Oh come on, I bet you never even seriously tried," Roxas rolled his eyes and laid the materials on the floor.

"But..." Sora hesitated.

"Just try it. I promise it would be fun," Roxas smiled. Sora knelt down beside Roxas.

"Okay, pick which one you want to draw with," Roxas gestured at the drawing materials near the paper. Eyeing the paint, Sora subconsciously reached for it.

"Paint?" Roxas asked.

"What? Y–yeah..." Sora said. Roxas's grin widened. Sora reached for the paint brushes, but Roxas pulled them away. Confused, Sora looked at Roxas questioningly.

"Finger-paint." Roxas said simply.

"What?"

"Finger-paint. No brushes, just your fingers," Roxas smiled.

"But..."

"Try it, it's fun. And you can draw anything you want," Roxas stood up and pulled out two large rolls of paper. He laid one down under another so that the paint won't stain his floor.

Sora grabbed for one of the smaller papers, but Roxas stopped him.

"Use the bigger one, it's more fun that way," Roxas placed the bigger paper closer to Sora.

"O–okay," nervously, Sora dipped his finger in the red paint and made a dot on the paper. Roxas laughed at how childish and innocent Sora looked.

"It's like you've never done this before!" said Roxas.

"Well I never have!" Sora defended.

"My mom never let me do these kinds of things because she said that it might stain our carpet," Sora pouted.

"Alright, alright, I'll stop laughing. Just go on with your drawing. I'll just watch," Roxas smiled.

Sora turned back to his "art" and decided to make a great horizontal slash on it with red paint. Then he grabbed all the other colors of the rainbow and started mixing different colors and making all sorts of slashes and curves all over the place.

Roxas couldn't help but admire Sora's childishness. He seemed to give off an aura of purity, something that Roxas only sees in little children.

Instinctively, Roxas reached for the smaller pieces of paper and the charcoal pencils and erasers, and started drawing. When Sora stopped and sat upright, Roxas stopped the back and forth movement of the pencil across his own paper.

"That's..."

"Really ugly, I know," Sora finished for him.

"No. It's art. It could be anything. It doesn't have to be pretty to be _art. _That's what makes art so beautiful," Roxas said honestly.

"You think?"

"Yeah," Roxas smiled.

Subconsciously, or rather, instinctively, Sora hugged Roxas.

"Thanks Roxas."

"For what?" Roxas was shocked by the sudden embrace.

"For today."

"You're welcome Sora," Roxas's face softened and he patted Sora's back. When Sora realized what he was doing, he pulled away quickly.

"S–sorry. U–uhm. I should go wash my hands," Sora then gasped. "Oh my goodness! Did I stain your shirt?"

"It's cool Sora, don't worry about it."

"But!"

"No, it's fine, it'll wash off, just go wash your hands." Roxas brushed it off.

"O–okay..."

* * *

"Whoa, it's three pm already?"

"Time sure flies," Sora murmured.

"Well, we can't eat lunch now, but do you want an early dinner?" Roxas asked.

"Sure... but, where are Cloud, Tifa and Denzel?" Sora asked.

"Cloud's out on his deliveries, Tifa and Denzel probably went out," Roxas explained.

"Oh, okay."

"Well, what do you want to eat?" Roxas rummaged through the fridge.

"What can you make?"

"Uhm. Well, there's only enough ingredients to make a decent noodle soup, so I'll make that. Is that okay?" Roxas looked up from the fridge.

"Yeah. That sounds great... You can cook?"

"Yeah," Roxas said, as though it wasn't a big deal.

"That's cool! I wish I can," Sora felt embarrassed.

"You don't have to cook Sora. You're different from other people. You grew up in a family that has chefs to do the cooking. Maids to do the cleaning. Servants to do the serving. The closest thing my family has to all three of those is Tifa. And if you called her a maid or a servant, you'd probably get killed. But if you called her a chef, she'd probably take it as a compliment..." Roxas laughed. Sora laughed as well.

Roxas started lighting the stove.

"Uhm. Roxas, can I stay here tonight?" Sora asked.

"Sure, but won't your family worry? And don't we have school tomorrow?" Roxas asked distractedly.

"I'm sure I'm the least of their worries right now. And, about tomorrow, can I borrow your uniform?"

"Yeah, you can borrow my uniform. But, I think you should just call, okay?" Roxas looked at Sora directly to emphasize his point.

"Okay. Can I use your phone?" Sora asked.

"Sure, it's just in the living room right there," Roxas pointed.

* * *

_"Hello?"_

"Hello, this is Sora."

_"Sora! Thank goodness I've been so worried!"_

"Sorry Squall-nii."

_"Okaa-chan told me to come home as soon as you left last night! I've been looking all over for you!"_

"Sor–"

_"Where are you? I'm gonna come pick you up right now. You're in so much trouble when you get home."_

"I can't tell you where I am."

_"What do you mean? Were you kidnapped or something?_"

"What? No. I mean, I don't want to tell you where I am."

_"Sora. Tell me where you are."_

"No. I don't want to."

_"Sora, you're being childish!"_

"No. Squall-nii, I can't go home right now!"

_"What are you talking about? And stop calling me that!"_

"I don't want to go home. Actually, that place isn't even worthy to be called 'home'. Last night, I thought that the divorce was the reason for our family suddenly seeming broken to me. But after today, I realized that our family started falling apart ever since Otou-san started leaving and not coming back."

_"Sora. Just tell me where you are and we can talk about this personally."_

"No."

_"Sora! God damn it! Tell me where you are!"_

"Ugh! I'm at Cloud Strife's house." *click* Sora hung up.

* * *

"Sora, are you alright?"

"I'm... not. But I will be."

"Okay... well, here, eat."

"Thank you."

"You're welcome. It's no big deal really, I like cooking." Roxas smiled.

"No, not just for the food. For keeping me company today."

"Not that I had a choice," Sora's head whipped toward Roxas as soon as the words left Roxas's mouth.

"Just kidding!"

"Geez Roxas! Don't joke like that! You really had me going!" Sora pouted.

"Lighten up Sora! I was just trying to cheer you up."

"Yeah... you're right, sorry," Sora apologized. Roxas smiled at him gently.

___Roxas is so nice._ He's... really handsome when he smiles. He's been smiling a lot today. More than he usually does. Well, I don't know how much he smiles when he's not with me. But he's smiling a lot more today, than he usually does when he's with me.

_I don't know, but somehow it feels like we got closer today. I kinda like it. I hope that we get closer... _Sora smiled to himself.

_... Wait. Wait. Why am I thinking like that? Why did I think that Roxas was handsome? I can't be... No. I can't be._

_Well, the more I think about it, the more it makes sense–wait what? ! It makes no sense. AT ALL!_

_ I mean, how could I get that from just thinking that he's good looking and wanting to get closer to him? _

Sora looked up from his food and glanced at Roxas. He quickly looked down and blushed various shades of red. Roxas was quietly slurping his noodles and Sora found it somewhat attractive.

_Shit. What in the world is going on with me? I can't be. I just can't be._

_I can't possibly falling for Roxas... Right? Because that would be wrong... in sooooo many different ways._

* * *

_What am I doing? I thought I'm supposed to not like this guy because he hurt me. And yet, here I am, making noodles for him, I even drew a fucking picture of him painting! Which reminds me, I better go hide that picture, before Sora finds it._

_This world is crazy. _Sigh. _Whatever. It doesn't matter anyway. Sora's going through a hard time. And I should help him. And if music couldn't help, then art is definitely another outlet._

_But I wonder why Sora acted so strangely when he played the piano... _Roxas looked at the subject of his thoughts. He then shook his head, telling himself to forget about it.

_But I can't! It's bugging me how he can't remember the music school! And how he seems to hurt whenever he touches the piano! Ugh! Why can't I stop thinking about someone who I supposedly hate?_

_I'm so confused!_ Roxas sighed inwardly.


	8. Chapter 7

**Author's note: **Chapter 7... um... yeah... :P

* * *

"Look Tifa, he's hurting right now, can't you just give him a break, just this once?"

"But if I let him in even more–I mean he's already stayed over once!–_Both of them_ would just get hurt again. I don't want that to happen!"

"I know, okay. But Roxas... I don't know. But it's been a long time since I've seen Roxas..."

"What?"

"Genuinely happy."

"What are you talking about? Roxas is always... well, not always, but he's happy a lot of the time."

"Not _that _kind of happy. A different kind of happy. I don't know. I mean, he seems like he's becoming best friends with Sora all over again."

"Cloud! That's exactly what we don't want to happen! Remember?"

"Yeah... but if we break their friendship up now, they'll just meet in secret, don't you think?"

"If we _don't _break their friendship now, they'll continue meeting, and their friendship would be impossible to _break!_"

"Then there's no way out of this huh."

"We will find a way Cloud. I'm not having Roxas hurt again. Don't you remember how hurt Roxas was?"

"Yes, and it hurt all of us to see my baby brother so broken, but Tifa–"

"No." And Tifa left it at that.

* * *

Sora slept on Roxas's bed, and Roxas ended up on the floor in a sleeping bag, after much argument(on Sora's part). But Roxas wasn't about to have a guest sleep on the floor. Even if it was Sora Leonhart.

"Morning already?" Roxas asked himself when he looked at the alarm clock that read 6 am. He let out a groan and tried to go back to sleep.

As soon as the light hit Sora's eyes through the blinds, he sprang up and smiled.

"Good morning!" He said to Roxas, who was just about to drift to sleep again.

"Morning..." Roxas murmured.

"... You're not a morning person, huh Roxas?" Sora grinned.

"No." With that, Roxas took his pillow and placed it over his head.

"Rise and shine– Sora! You're... still... here?" Tifa was shocked.

"I'm very sorry for imposing on you like this. But... things at my place aren't resolved yet," Sora bowed an apology.

"It's quite alright Sora," Tifa said through gritted teeth and made her way out of Roxas's room, grumbling all the while. But before she could get through the door, she spotted Roxas, fully awake, staring at her weirdly. Tifa sighed.

Roxas stood up and followed Tifa. Confused, Sora tried to follow them.

"Maybe you should get dressed Sora," Roxas said. But Sora understood it as a polite way of saying, 'just stay out of it, and stay here.'

* * *

"Roxas! What did we agree on yesterday?"

"That you'd make breakfast for him and act as if you don't know him," Roxas repeated.

"Yes! And what else?"

"That after that, I shouldn't let him stay over anymore."

"Exactly! I upheld our agreement, what happened to _your_ part?"

"Tifa, it's not exactly easy to tell someone who doesn't want to go home, to go home!"

"Alright. Alright. I'll let it slide this time. Just make sure that he doesn't come home with you today."

"Fine." The whole conversation was whispered. So no one else could hear it, but it ended abruptly because Sora had asked Roxas for help.

"Remember our deal Roxas," Tifa said before she went downstairs.

* * *

"Umm, I'm pretty sure that you don't have any smaller uniforms, but, I just wanted to ask anyway..." Sora said while blushing, the uniform was slightly baggy on him.

"S–sorry about that. But I don't have any smaller uniforms. But... I thought that you'd fit in them," Roxas scratched the back of his neck.

"Well... I guess they're a little big on me. But it's okay. It's just for today right?" Sora grinned.

"It's not really that noticeable," Roxas commented. But actually, it was. At least for Roxas it was. The button shirt was too long so the sleeves went up to his fingers, and the pants dragged on the ground. _Heh.. I didn't know that I was **that** much taller than him... He looks cute. _

_Whoa. Whoa. Wait. CUTE? _Roxas shook his head._  
_

"Roxas, can you help me with the tie, I always get confused what to do," Sora looked absolutely _adorable_ trying to tie his own tie. If Roxas was a fangirl, he'd swoon from a nosebleed. But since he _obviously_ wasn't, he just felt blood rushing to his cheeks.

"S–sure," Roxas tried to hide his blush. _Dammit, he looks like such a little kid. I'm starting to feel like a pedophile. Gah! Think happy thoughts. _

"Thank you!" Sora grinned after Roxas tied it correctly._  
_

"N–no problem," Roxas looked away because he couldn't hold the blush any longer.

* * *

"Why are we walking to school?"

"I thought I told you the reason why I don't bring my car to school," Roxas looked at Sora.

Sora looked confused.

"I didn't?"

Sora shook his head.

"Oh, well, you see, my friends aren't as fortunate as I am to have such a luxurious car... In other words, if I bring that to school, all of them would ask for rides in it. I mean _all _of them. And well, my friends aren't exactly the easy-to-trust-with-a-porsche type of people," Roxas explained.

"Not saying that I don't trust my friends. I trust them with my life, but... I just don't trust them with my personal things... Because they have been known to take advantage of my stuff..." Roxas laughed.

"I see..." Sora said thoughtfully. "But if they really did want to ride your porsche, wouldn't they just go to your house and well, ride it?"

"The only people that know I have a porsche are Namine, because she's my best friend, Xion, because she found out, Axel, because he's also my best friend, and Zexion, because... Zexion just knows things."

"Oh.. okay..." Sora and Roxas were quiet for the whole walk there. Which, thankfully, wasn't very long. All the while, Sora spent the time watching Roxas through the corner of his eye.

He memorized Roxas's profile, and admired how his blonde locks seem to hug, brush against and away from his face at exactly the right places. _He looks like a prince..._

Sora didn't even realize that he was thinking about Roxas the whole time he was walking. But when he did, he couldn't do anything but scold himself mentally for staring.

When they got to the school, Roxas and Sora went different ways.

"Well, I'll see you later Sora!" Roxas waved.

"Alright, bye!" Sora waved too. And they parted.

* * *

Through out the day, Sora would always look around him every time he was out in the hall. Whether it was to get something from his locker, or to go to the rest room, Sora's eyes start wandering in search for those familiar blonde spikes that he grew accustomed to seeing over the weekend.

Riku noticed that Sora was acting strangely. "Sora... are you on the look out for someone?"

"What?" He was startled.

"Are you being threatened by someone?" _I don't know about being **threatened** but I definitely am **in danger** of falling in lo–shit! No. I am **not!**  
_

"No."

"Then why are you looking around...?"

"Food." Sora lied so easily that he surprised even himself.

"Food?" Riku repeated.

"I'm hungry and I'm smelling something good..." Sora continued.

"It's almost lunch, just hang on... Geeze I thought you were in some sort of trouble or something..." _If only you knew, Riku, how much trouble I'm in..._

* * *

"Hey, Roxas!" Namine waved at him casually.

"You will not guess what happened after the concert!" They said at the same time.

"You first!" Simultaneously again.

"No you!"

"Umm, this isn't going to work... okay. _You _first," Roxas sighed.

"Axel and I got together!" Namine jumped up and down.

"Really? That's great! I need to talk to him after school then," Roxas smiled.

"Why?"

"To tell him that if he ever hurt you, I'll make his life miserable..." Roxas smirked.

"Same goes for you too! If you ever hurt him, I'll make _your _life miserable!" Roxas continued.

"Oh please, Roxas. You can't make _my _life miserable," Namine scoffed.

"Oh really?" Roxas said with a glint in his eye.

"Yes really," Namine rolled her eyes.

"What if I tell everyone about that incident with the sketch pad? You know, where I found all your drawings about–"

"Roxas! You said you'll never speak of that again! You promised not to bring it up again! You pinky swore!"

"I don't remember even doing such a thing," Roxas grinned.

"Alright. Alright. You win. You _can_ make my life miserable. But don't worry. You won't have to go to that extreme," Namine sighed.

"I hope not. You better take good care of each other... you two are my best friends," Roxas's grin turned into a gentle smile.

"We will, don't worry. Anyway, what were you going to tell me?" Namine asked. But as soon as she finished her question, they were interrupted by a high pitched squeal... courtesy of Kairi.

Namine rolled her eyes and Roxas looked around for the cause of the sudden outburst.

"OMG! Sora! You look so adorable! How come your clothes are all big on you?" Kairi yelled. This caught the attention of all the girls in the cafeteria, save for Roxas's friends, and they turned toward Sora to see if what Kairi said was true.

"Uh... because... I... accidentally... wore... my older brother's old uniform!" Sora smiled inwardly at his quick thinking.

"Oh! You're so cute! We should take a picture. But hold on, we should make you look cuter," Selphie squealed as well. Roxas finally got himself to turn away.

_Oh dear, what are they planning to do with me... and Roxas is here too! Crap, they better not embarrass me! _Sora thought.

"Roxas, what were you saying?" Namine managed to ignore all the noise.

"Sorry... I got distracted," Roxas shook his head.

Namine raised a brow, "By Sora?"

"Yeah... actually, that's what I was about to tell you..." said Roxas.

"Well?"

"Sora stayed over at my house Saturday night, and last night," Roxas confessed as though he had done a very bad thing.

"Is... that the reason why Sora's clothes are all baggy? He's wearing your clothes?" Namine's eyes grew wide.

"Err.. yeah," Roxas scratched the back of his neck.

"But Roxas! I thought you hated him!" Namine whispered a yell.

"I did! I mean.. I do. I mean... I don't know anymore," Roxas shook his head.

"Roxas, we... need to talk in private later. It's about what Xion said..." Namine bit her lip.

"What, what is it?"

"She told me not to tell you, and... I really wanted to keep her promise. But at the rate things are going, I don't want you and Sora to start a new friendship without knowing that you two had a past... Anyway, I'll tell you all the details later, okay?" Namine asked.

"Xion... told you?" Roxas was shocked. _I didn't think Xion would tell anyone... _

Namine nodded. Speaking of the devil, Xion came and sat next to Roxas acting as though nothing was wrong.

"Hey, what goes on?" she asked smiling.

"Nothing... just talking about the concert," Namine lied.

"Oh my gosh! I know it was amazing!" Xion's eyes perked up. Roxas sighed. _How in the hell does she act like there's nothing wrong? !  
_

* * *

The day was finally over, and Namine decided to go over to Roxas's house to talk to him in private.

"Nami-chan..." Axel complained.

"Don't worry Axel, nothing will happen, plus I'm going over to your place right after, I just really need to talk to Roxas, 'kay?" Namine winked.

"Fine," Axel pouted and let it go.

"Ready?" Roxas asked Namine, picking up his back pack.

"Yeah," she smiled. On their way out of the campus, Roxas caught sight of Sora at the corner of his eye. Instinctively, he turned and, as though Sora sensed him, Sora turned as well and waved, grinning broadly. Sora's friends waved too.

Roxas shyly waved back as he tried to fight his lips from curving upward at Sora's antics. Namine shot Roxas a look, and raised a brow. Shrugging, Roxas brushed it off.

"Alright, so, what did Xion tell you, exactly?" Roxas asked.

"Uh... I'm starting to wonder if it's alright to tell you this," Namine hesitated.

"Namine, these are my memories. My _lost_ memories. I think I have the right to know," Roxas was serious.

"But I don't know if _I_ have the right to tell you," Namine sighed.

"Please. Just tell me," Roxas felt exasperation in the tone of his voice.

"Well," Namine went on about what Xion had told her. She took a deep breath every now and then. She described how their friend was practically in hysterics, and how shocked she–Namine–was at Sora's dark past. When all was said and done, Roxas looked dumbfounded.

"What... the hell?" Roxas thought that knowing what happened would trigger his memories. He thought that if he had just heard from someone, that he'd suddenly remember everything.

"So, do you remember now?" Namine asked.

The thing was, "No, I don't. I still don't remember anything. Not the fight, not music school _with _Sora. Nothing!"

Namine frowned and patted Roxas's shoulder. She tried to open her mouth to say something, but she was cut off.

"I think... I want to be left alone," Roxas looked down when they finally reached his house.

"Yeah, sure, no problem... Roxas, don't beat yourself up for this." Namine offered a piece of advice.

"..." Roxas had no answer to that. Snapping out of his thoughts though, he looked up just before Namine turned on her heel to leave.

"Are you sure you don't want a ride to Axel's?" Roxas asked.

"It's alright Roxas. You need to think about this... though I don't think you should be left alone with sharp objects, or else you might turn emo again," Namine tried to joke. Roxas's eyes glinted with hurt. Knowing that he had caused someone to harm themselves hit him really hard. Right at his chest. What's worse was that he couldn't remember even doing it. He felt like a complete ass.

"Too early for teasing huh..." Namine trailed off.

"Sorry..." Roxas mumbled.

"No. It's okay. I'm sorry. Just... don't do anything stupid. Think Roxas. Just think." And with that, Namine turned around and left.

* * *

Roxas walked into his room and collapsed on his bed, face down. Grabbing the nearest pillow, Roxas pulled his legs close to his chest and laid on his side. He sighed heavily, listening to the silence that enveloped the house. No one was home, Roxas was left to brood... alone. Deciding that just laying there and thinking wouldn't do his grades any good, Roxas took his text book, notebook, and pen to start his homework.

Getting through it quickly, he desperately wished he had more work to do to get thoughts of Sora out of his head. Anything to occupy his mind with something else. But there was _nothing_ else to do. He thought of cooking, but that only reminded him of the night before, when Sora complimented his skills.

He thought of drawing, but it only brought back Sora's painting. Which he had left on Roxas's wall. Now the abstract mesh of colors was staring at Roxas, curiously wondering if Roxas would tear it down. But Roxas couldn't just rip it off. It was beautiful, and Roxas was never one to destroy pretty things, especially if they're art.

Frowning, Roxas tore his eyes away from the painting, and glanced around his room. Suddenly, Roxas found himself reaching for his desk drawer. Placing his hand in it tentatively, his finger tips grazed the piece of paper that was placed on top of various random things Roxas stashed in the drawer.

He could feel sparks running up his finger tips as he traced the edges of the paper. Roxas didn't know whether it was just his imagination or not. Unable to help himself, he took the paper out from the desk and observed his quick sketch.

The picture reminded Roxas of Sora's perseverance and hard work, slaving over the painting that hung on Roxas's wall. It was just a black figure but anyone could tell it was Sora. The spikes sticking out from his head were unmistakable, even in charcoal drawing form. Roxas felt strange.

_Why did I start drawing him?... Was it just because I was admiring his work?... Or... What? I'm so confused. What about what Xion had said? Or rather, what Namine told me Xion said. _

_Is it true? Did I really hurt Sora that much?... It explains the scar I saw... It explains why Sora can't remember it... But... why was I so hurt that Sora had found a new friend? Was it only because I was afraid of losing someone else from my life? Or... was it because I felt something more?_

_But that doesn't make any sense! I was only eight for god's sake. I can't have felt something more than just selfish greediness. I just didn't want to share Sora with anyone. I was probably jealous too... _

_And terribly afraid that Sora would eventually forget about me, and leave. _

_Just like how mom and dad left._

Through his silent monologue, his feet led him to the basement where the piano stood, covered by a cloth.

Roxas's eyes glazed over, he lifted the cover and his fingers ran through the ivory keys, feeling a light coat of dust on them. Roxas sat down and his eyes unknowingly drifted shut. The melody flowed from his fingertips and went right back to his ears.

He heard himself play, but he couldn't feel the keys. He couldn't feel the force his fingers were applying to each note, he just _heard_. And what a sound it was. The beautiful song that Roxas was playing gave him peace. It soothed him. But as the soft melody faded away, it was replaced by rapid and deeper notes.

It sounded frantic, anxious, scared. Then suddenly, Roxas wasn't in the basement anymore. He wasn't listening to himself play the piano, but rather, listening to a beautiful woman singing while he played the piece with precise accuracy. His eyes opened, but not really. All he could see was his fingers, and the keys. Nothing else.

He couldn't see her face, he just knew that she was, like her voice, very very beautiful. When his fingers stopped, the woman laughed.

_"Good job Roxas... but you need to feel the song. Not just play it. Enjoy, listen, lose yourself in your music," _Her tone was soft, slightly chiding, but very very friendly. Almost like a mother.

_"Ms. Aerith! Sora wants to try too!"_ This voice... this voice was so familiar. But so much younger than Roxas remembered. He lifted his face and saw a flash of brown and really really bright blue.

The woman who Roxas then knew to be Ms. Aerith giggled.

His eyes snapped open and he bolted upright. He blinked and every time he did, he could see a flash of blue. He could hear the faint womanly voice. But it was all gone. And Roxas was back on his bed.

_I was dreaming?... But which ones... were the dream? _

Roxas checked his backpack. All his homework was finished. He looked over at his desk, the drawing was on the desktop instead of the drawer. He ran to the basement and saw that the cloth that was covering the piano was on the floor.

His heart beating quickly, he wondered how he got to his bed.

"Tifa? Denzel?" Roxas called. There was no answer.

"Roxas, what the? Stop shouting, you'll wake everyone up," Cloud walked in the hallway from the kitchen, a glass of water in his hand.

"Cloud?" Roxas was confused as hell. He didn't even realize that all the lights were turned off, and that it was dark outside.

"Go back to sleep, it's late," Cloud turned and started to climb the stairs. _What time is it? _Roxas checked the clock, it was 2:14 am.

"How long have I been asleep?" Roxas wondered aloud.


	9. Chapter 8

**Author's Note: **Chapter 8 :) Oh dear.. I'm really becoming lazy... But it is my mission to finish this!

* * *

The week had been terrible for Roxas. Every night, that recurring dream kept on popping up. _Hence the word **recurring**__... I honestly think my brain cells have been replaced by thinking-of-Sora-cells. God I feel stupid._

Roxas sighed in the shower as he washed off the remnants of the failed cake he tried to make. For some reason, Denzel had been craving a chocolate cake. And for some reason, Denzel decided that instead of asking Tifa for one, asking Roxas would be a better choice. Of course, to a normal Roxas, a cake would be... a piece of cake. _That was a terrible pun... what in the world is wrong with me? !_

But Roxas's brain had been so preoccupied in the past several days that he completely messed up the recipe. How he messed up a pre-made box mix, he didn't know.

Once he got out of the shower, he dressed and went down to the kitchen to see if he had missed anything in cleaning up. _If Tifa finds it, and I don't, I'm dead._

Spotting the box of Betty Crocker cake mix, he glared at it and tossed it away in the trash angrily. Denzel walked in the kitchen and asked his big brother where his cake was.

"Sorry Denzel, the cake didn't turn out right..." Roxas eyes were apologetic.

"... Aww... It's okay Roxas-nii, but what happened? Usually you make cakes from scratch... And wasn't this a box recipe?" Denzel asked innocently.

Roxas sighed, "A lot of things are bothering me right now... I'm sorry I didn't get you your cake," Roxas ruffled Denzel's hair.

"It's alright, I'll just ask Ven-nii to buy me some," Denzel smiled.

"Ven-nii's coming home?" Roxas asked.

"Yeah, Tifa told us a few days a go, don't you remember?" Denzel looked puzzled.

"I... must've forgot... Or maybe I wasn't listening." Roxas shook his head.

"Are you sure you're okay?" asked Denzel.

"...No, I think..." Roxas didn't finish his sentence. He trudged up the stairs to his room and just laid on his bed until it was time for lunch.

* * *

Ven came and went. Apparently he just went home because he had forgotten something when he was last there, but he did ask Roxas about Vanitas. Not that Roxas would know anything about him, but it seemed that Ven was concerned because he heard from a friend that Vanitas's parents were having a divorce.

"Sorry, the only two people I actually talk to... aren't really up to talking about their parents' divorce right now. So I don't know what's going on with Vanitas," Roxas sat up from his bed when Ven barged in.

"It's alright... but, I really am worried. I've never seen Van so... not composed," Ven shook his head.

"Wait, two people? I thought you only talked to Xion Leonhart," Ven looked confused.

"Yeah... about that..." A moment of silence passed as Roxas tried to figure out how to form his words in his head.

"... Ven-nii."

"Yeah?" Ven looked at his brother.

"Remember when... remember when mom and dad died?" Roxas looked at the ground. Ven, wearing the same exact expression as Roxas, sat next to his brother on the bed and looked at the ground as well.

"Roxas..." Ven sighed, was his little brother still bothered by this? Even after eight years...

"When they died... everyone was sad. Well... everyone except Denzel, because he didn't really know what was going on. But eventually, I became very hard to handle–"

"Roxas, you weren't the only one that was acting up. I probably caused Cloud-nii more trouble than you did," Ven placed his hand on Roxas's shoulder.

"So Cloud-nii sent me to music school," Roxas completely ignored what his brother had said.

"Yes. And Cloud-nii sent you to music school because he thought that music could help you in ways that none of us ever could."

Ignoring his brother again, Roxas continued, "In that music school, I met someone.

"He became my best friend. But something happened between us, and it caused us to fight. Both of us got extremely hurt; him more than me. I caused him so much pain that he had to forget about me completely to live normally. And I was in so much pain too that I had _almost _forgotten about him completely.

"But since I didn't, a lingering feeling kept him well rooted in my memory. Or at least, the memory of his being, not the memory of us being friends. That lingering feeling was spite. Possibly jealousy, and... blind hatred.

"I was being unfair. In the past eight years I've only been seeing one side of the story. And making conclusions based on that side. _My _side. But recently, someone told me fragments of the other side.

"Those fragments led me to realize that I was in the wrong as well. Probably more in the wrong for not hearing him out. I could have stayed and listened. I could have been patient.

"But how in the world could an eight year old be patient. Much less when his best friend was about to replace him with someone else. Even more when his parents had just recently died.

"But I know that's not enough to excuse my behavior."

"Roxas, what are you talking about?" Ven was beyond confused at that point.

"I remember a little boy, but I didn't think you two were that close, he's never even been to our house!" said Ven.

"He has, but he never went in. I always found him before he went in and we ended up going to his house instead. But that's beside the point."

"That little boy, he's in a lot of pain right now too," Roxas continued.

"His parents are about to have a divorce, and his family is practically crumbling into pieces." Realization dawned on Ven's face.

"Sora. Sora Leonhart," said Ven.

"Yes."

"But–but didn't you hate–"

"Yes. I did," Roxas sighed.

"_Did_? So you don't anymore?"

"Yes. No. I.. I don't know. I'm so confused. I don't know whether to befriend him or to push him away..." Roxas trailed off.

Then he started up again, "If I befriend him, and he finds out the truth about our past, he'll be extremely hurt. And if I push him away, he'll be confused and hurt as well. I don't know what to do!"

"... Honestly Roxas, I don't know what to tell you. I'm not sure whether the reason you're telling me all this is because you want my advice, or if it's just because you want to tell someone about your problems, but I'm not sure if I'm the right person you should be talking to.

"Cloud-nii... he's born with the older-brother aura. He's calm, protective, and he makes anyone feel safe. He'd also know what to tell you in this situation."

"But the reason why I can't tell him is because he's _Cloud-nii_. He knew about everything. And he kept it from me. Both him and Tifa!" Roxas almost yelled.

"How do you figure that?"

"I remember. Everything now. I remember it all. I remember coming home in tears, I remember Cloud-nii talking to Sora's father, I remember Cloud-nii wearing a scary expression, I remember Tifa wearing a scary expression. I remember them telling me not to talk to Sora _ever _again."

"There must be a reason why they didn't tell you Roxas," Ven tried.

"They can't just keep a part of my identity a secret from me!"

"Roxas! Calm down. Please, yelling angrily won't solve anything," Ven sighed. "I'll tell you something, because this is the only advice I can think of right now. So listen and don't interrupt me."

Roxas released an exasperated sigh.

"Everything you have done and will do have consequences. Whether good or bad, you have to deal with them carefully. So before you do anything rash, just think. Think about what you're going to do and decide whether it's the right course of action. Okay?" Ven made Roxas look at him straight in the eye.

Roxas looked away.

"Okay?" Ven pressed harder.

"Okay okay."

"Alright. Well, I'm leaving now. See ya little bro," Ven ruffled Roxas's hair.

"Yeah... see ya Ven-nii," And with that Ven left. Roxas was alone... _again. _And even though Ven gave him good advice, a question still remained that no one could answer:

_How on Earth will I face Sora again?_

* * *

Laying in bed, looking at the ceiling, Sora listened to the clock tick in his gigantic bedroom. He sat up with a soft grunt and scanned his room. It was cluttered with things; comic books, cds, magazines, clothes, game consoles. But somehow, it felt empty.

The incredibly large house that he used to call a 'home' was unfamiliar to him. The walls that he used to know were no longer a safe-hold that made him feel protected. It was saddening. Only one thought kept him from leaving the house that day.

_Roxas is supposed to come today... He's supposed to teach me math... I wonder when he'll come over... _Sora sighed.

A tiny knock took Sora away from his thoughts. The door opened and in came Marlene. Small, scared, and confused.

"Sora-nii... Where's papa? Where's mama? Where's Squall-nii? Where's Van-nii?" She asked.

"Where's nee-chan?"

Sora had no idea how to answer those questions. So he began with the easier one.

"Well, Squall-nii is in Twilight Town, Van-nii's in college," said he as he scooped Marlene up to set her on his lap. "Nee-chan's probably at her part-time job, and... well, Papa's on a business trip."

"Where's mama then?" she asked innocently. Sora bit his lip.

"Marlene," dropping the endearing tone he usually uses, implying that he was serious, "mama... she's... Okay. How do I say this? Mama and papa... they're having a fight right now."

"... Isn't that a bit childish?" Marlene pouted.

"Mama always told me not to fight because fighting is for immature people."

Sora couldn't help but chuckle. "Yes. That's true. Adults shouldn't fight because only kids fight. But... this is different from a kid's fight. This... could break their relationship. It could split up our family."

"I don't want that to happen!" Marlene interjected.

"I know. I don't want that to happen either. But, actually there's nothing we can really do about it. Both mama and papa already signed the divorce papers."

"What's a divorce?" Marlene asked. Not wanting to corrupt a child's innocence, Sora hesitated whether to answer that honestly or not. But figuring that she was going to know the truth eventually, why not just tell her now?

"A divorce is something that... a married couple gets when they don't want to be together anymore. I'm not really sure about the details but basically, mama and papa won't be together anymore, and since we're minors, we have to figure out who gets custody of us," Sora tried to explain.

"Custody?" Marlene tilted her head.

"It's who gets to take care of us. Keep us basically." _Like objects... _Sora thought bitterly.

"... Why are mama and papa getting a divorce?"

"There are many reasons for each couple to want a divorce. Ranging from neglect, abandonment, hatred, abuse, adultery..." Sora trailed off.

Only understanding 'hatred,' Marlene reacted to it, "Mama and papa hate each other?"

"Well, not exactly... I'm not sure what the reason for their divorce truly is... But one thing is certain, mama and papa don't... love each other the way they used to," Sora sighed, not wanting to accept the truth himself.

"Sora-nii... I don't want our family to fall apart."

"Me neither Marly-chan..."

Eventually the little girl fell asleep against Sora's chest. And he had to carry her back to her room.

* * *

Going back to the darkness of his room, Sora looked at the phone beside his bed longingly, waiting for Roxas to call him. To tell him that he was on his way.

But when the phone did ring, it wasn't Roxas.

"Kairi!" Sora tried to sound cheerful.

_"Hey Sora... How are you?"_ Kairi seemed careful with her tone.

"I'm... I've been better," Sora admitted. Dropping the cheerful tone a bit.

_"Sora... if... if you need someone to talk to, know that I'm always here for you. Me and Riku both. Okay?"_

"Kairi... can you do me a favor?" Sora had a drastic change in tone.

_"Sure, I'll do whatever you want."_

"Tell Riku too, okay?"

_"Okay. What is it?"_

"Please... let's not mention... or speak about my parents' divorce... okay? I think I'll feel better that way."

Kairi was silent for a while. Sora half-expected her to have hung up already. But she spoke again.

_"Okay. So, umm.. I have something **really **important to tell you,"_ Kairi was preppy and cheerful all of a sudden.

"Yeah?" Sora smiled.

_"I have someone I like!"_

"Really? Who?"

_"Hmm.. well... I'll give you a hint. It starts with an S!"_

"..." Sora was dense. But he wasn't stupid.

"It's a guy right?" Okay so maybe he was a tad bit slow but, he had to make sure.

_"Yeah.. duh. I'm no lesbian!"_

"Well... then it's not Selphie... then who else do I know whose name starts with an S?" Sora asked himself out loud. Then he realized who it was and blinked a couple of times.

"No way."

_"What?"_

**"No way."**

_**"What?"**_

"You like Squall-nii?" Sora asked incredulously.

_"... Sora..."_ Kairi sighed. _"Gosh. Do I have to spell it out for you?"_

"Please?"

_"S-O-R-A. There. It's you dumb-dumb!"_ Kairi giggled.

"M–me?... You like me?" Sora asked.

_"Yeah... and I'm sorry I'm saying this over the phone. But... I don't know. I don't have the courage to tell you face to face."_

"W–well..." Sora didn't know what to say.

_"You don't have to answer me right away. Actually part of the reason why I'm telling you this over the phone is... there's no awkward staring. Anyway, think about it. 'Kay?"_

"Kairi... how long?"

_"A long time..."_ Kairi hung up. _**  
**_

* * *

The time came for Roxas to tutor Sora again. On his way to Sora's house, he called Sora to tell him that was going to be there in a few minutes. _Why am I even going there?_

_Something tells me that something bad is going to happen... But for some reason, I'm still going to his house! Why?_

"Great! I'll see you then! I have really shocking news to tell you. And I want your advice on it," Sora said cheerfully. _How does he manage to keep himself happy when his family's practically falling apart?_ Roxas thought to himself.

He rang the door bell and it was answered by a servant. It was the first time Roxas had seen a servant; and he was fully clad in uniform, bow-tie and all.

"Um... Is Sora here?" Roxas asked.

"Right this way sir," The gloved hand stretched out to point to the stairs leading to Sora's room.

"Thank you." Roxas bowed.

"Will you be staying for dinner?" the servant asked. His voice sounded somewhat like a cross between a human and a duck.

"Uh..."

"Yes. He will, thank you Donald," Sora answered for him appearing at the landing of the stairs.

"Come with me Roxas!" Sora grinned. Roxas smiled a bit and followed Sora up the stairs.

* * *

"So... here are the worksheets," Roxas handed them over to Sora. _Okay, be calm. Don't mention anything about the music school... Just act normal. _Roxas pep-talked himself.

"Um... you won't explain them to me?" Sora asked. Looking over the complicated math problems that seemed vaguely familiar.

"Think of this as a test. A practice test. I won't tell you any of the answers until you're done with the whole thing, okay?" Roxas almost smirked as he saw the smile fall from Sora's face. _Okay... doing good so far... Just last through the test without saying anything. Then you're almost out of here..._

"F–fine.." Sora took a nearby pencil and set out to work. Roxas watched him for a few minutes, then got bored. Looking around the room, he tried to see if he could spot the piano book from where he was.

Unable to do so, Roxas decided to pull out the book he brought with him and read. After thirty to forty minutes, Sora finished and Roxas looked over his calculations. Cross checking them with his answer key.

"Roxas... what if... what if Kairi and I get together?"

"Excuse me?" Roxas was confused. He paused and looked up from the papers.

"Oh. Uh, Kairi just confessed to me today... over the phone," Sora looked awkward. Then, almost complete forgetting Roxas was in the room, Sora fell into a monologue that was saying almost the same thing over and over again.

"Wouldn't we have to kiss and stuff then?" Sora looked absolutely scandalized by the thought of kissing the preppy red head. "But Kairi's like a sister! That's kinda... like incest right?"

"That's gross!"

His mouth curved into a small smile. A thought occured to Roxas, _What would it be like to smash **my** lips against his? _and much to Roxas's horror, he wasn't at all averse to the idea of kissing his friend right then and there.

_Hold on... since when did he become a friend? _Roxas inwardly sighed and thought, _ugh, no use arguing with myself. Fine. I admit, **Sora's a friend**. _

_A friend who's asking a very childish question, and is looking very adorable right now. _His mind was very much encouraging Roxas to do the unexpected.

The reason... Roxas didn't know. _Maybe if I kissed him everything will be solved.  
_

_But **nothing **will be solved. It would just complicate things even more! Just... go back to grading the papers Roxas...  
_

_Maybe we should just kiss to break the tension... I. am. an. **idiot**. This shouldn't even be what I'm worrying about right now!_

_I should be thinking about being careful with my words and not accidentally mention anything about the music school... I should be grading the god damn papers!  
_

During this time, Sora was rambling on and on about what happened when Kairi confessed to him. Roxas wasn't paying attention(obviously)–only retaining the word 'lesbian', which made Roxas more confused–and so when Roxas finally managed to silence the voice in his head, and miraculously finish grading the papers, he asked, "Sora... what about your parents?"

Sora stopped moving and turned to look at Roxas slowly.

"What about my parents?" Sora's voice sounded bitter.

"How–How are they doing?"

Sora's pencil almost snapped in half, Roxas could hear the thing cracking.

"Roxas... maybe... Maybe we shouldn't be talking about this right now," Sora looked at Roxas almost pleadingly.

"But Sora, if you tell someone, maybe you would feel better–"

"Roxas... that's not the way my coping mechanism works," Sora sighed.

"What?" Roxas was puzzled.

"The way I cope with things that hurt and confuse me... I tend to bury them under a lot of unrelated things. I try to forget about them, and push the thoughts out of my mind."

"O–oh... I see," Roxas decided not to press it further.

"So! Do you want to eat now?" Sora said with a grin.

_It's almost like he has a personality disorder. At one moment he's all serious, then the next he's all happy and cheerful. _Roxas shook his head. _But isn't that what I find so interesting about him?_ He asked himself.

_Yeah... Sora's an interesting person. I want to keep this friendship with him. This **new** friendship. I want to start over with him._

_Forget our past..._ But things don't exactly go as one would want._ Shit. I forgot about dinner.  
_

* * *

While eating dinner, Marlene kept asking Roxas questions.

"Ne~ Roxas-nii.. can I call you Roxas-nii?"

"Sure," Roxas smiled.

"Yay! So, anyway, Roxas-nii, what do you think I should do for Denzel-kun's birthday?" she asked.

"Umm.. Well... Maybe you could get him something," Roxas suggested.

"Well, I know that!" Marlene rolled her eyes. "But I don't know what to get him... hmm... What is Roxas-nii getting him?"

"Uh, I haven't really thought about it yet. Usually I give him food," Roxas smiled. Sora laughed silently.

"Hmm... food huh. Maybe I should give him cookies!" Marlene beamed.

"That's a great idea Marlene!" Roxas grinned at her.

"But Roxas-nii, I don't know how to make cookies," Marlene's grin faltered a bit.

"Well, maybe I should teach you," Roxas offered with a gentle smile.

"Really? You would do that?" Marlene's eyes got big.

"Sure, why not?" Roxas's smile grew wider.

"Then, can Sora-nii help too?" Sora asked Marlene.

"Of course! Sora-nii can help... just as long as he doesn't eat the cookie dough before we start baking!" Marlene reprimanded.

"Can I eat them after then?" Sora grinned slyly.

"... Sora-nii! They're for Denzel-kun!" Marlene pouted.

"I know, I know... I was just kidding. But... can I at least have one cookie?" Sora pleaded.

"... Fine," Marlene gave in. Observing the childish banter, Roxas tried hard not to burst into laughter. But unable to keep himself from letting out a few chuckles, Sora caught him and began laughing as well.

Marlene giggled and all of the sudden, the dining room was filled with joyous laughs.

"Sora! Marlene! Xion! I'm here to get my things," Sora's father popped in the kitchen.

"Though why I'm doing them myself... I don't know. Honestly, I can't trust people nowadays to do my work for me," he sighed.

Roxas froze. What would his father do if he saw Roxas there?... Well, it was inevitable that he would see him, but Roxas still held his breath in anxiety.

"Sora could you call Donald to–" he paused, finally looking at the dinner table where he spotted a person he did not want to see.

"You," he pointed at Roxas, "What are you doing here?"

"Otou-san?" Sora didn't know what was going on.

Roxas was scared. What was going to happen to him? Shouldn't he leave right now? He stood up instinctively.

"Get out. I thought I told your brother never to let you or anyone in your family to come in contact with mine," he sounded angry.

_But... everyone's already friends with everyone, _Roxas reasoned in his head. He couldn't find it in him to say those words out loud.

"Otou-san? What in the world are you talking about?" Sora was getting angry himself. His father had no right to talk to his friend that way.

"Sora, you stay out of this. Sit down," his father glared angrily.

"Papa... you're scaring me," Marlene's lip trembled. Sora grabbed her hand from under the table and gave it a firm squeeze.

"Marlene, be quiet!" yelled their father.

"... I'll be leaving now Sora," Roxas took this opportunity to say good-bye to Sora.

"Roxas, wait–" Sora was cut off.

"Good. And don't you ever come back," threatened their father.


	10. Chapter 9

**Author's note:** Hey there! Chapter 9 here! Gah. I'm really getting lazy... Not to mention it's getting harder and harder to write this. And I have no privacy to write this. -.-'' Anyway, I will try my best! For you, who's reading, and for me because I really want to see how I'm going to go about writing and ending this :) So, yeah. Enough rambling. Here you go! Oh yes, please listen to the songs mentioned here. In piano version if you'd like. They really are beautiful pieces of music.

* * *

_What just happened?... Why did otou-san... How do they know each other? What's going on?_

"Otou-san?" Sora sensed that has father was seething with rage.

"Sora, son, please... please tell me how long you've been acquainted with... him?"

"Just a few weeks... or so," Sora was so confused.

"Good. You will never see him ever again. Understood?" His father looked at him sternly. Marlene, who crawled into Sora's lap, whimpered slightly.

"What? Why?" It was Sora's turn to get a angry.

"Understood?" he glared at his son, and his youngest daughter clutched onto Sora's chest. Never had she been more afraid of her papa than now.

"Will you please tell me the reason why? Because to me, right now, you're being very unfair. You just met him. Roxas didn't even do anything wrong!" Sora raised his voice slightly.

"Sora. Don't. Argue. With. Me."

Sora's eye twitched, as well as his upper lip. He was itching to just explode and yell, cuss, and possibly spout nonsense, at his father.

But Marlene's quivering stopped him.

"Where's Mama?" Marlene mumbled into Sora's shirt.

"Marlene, sweetie, mama and I... well..." he looked at a loss for words.

"You don't need to explain. I already told her what was going on..." _Useless father, _Sora added in his mind.

"What was that?"

Sora gasped. _Did I say that last part out loud?... Shit. Might as well just go along with it. _Sora sighed inwardly.

"You heard me," Sora gathered courage.

"You can't speak like that to me. I'm your _father_! Don't act like your mother," he spat. Sora snapped.

"You have no right to tell me what to do. You played no part in raising me. You were barely there in my life, and you expect me to respect your wishes; to just do what you tell me? No. After 15 years, I'm sick and tired of you not being there when we need you. I'm tired of you constantly destroying the happiness that this broken family is trying to hold on to.

"Even though Okaa-chan wasn't here all the time either, you can never compare to her. In my heart, she's the only parent I love. In my eyes, she's the only one I see and respect as a parent. To me, okaa-chan is all I need, and I was stupid to think that you staying would make us a happy family."

"Watch your mouth. You have no right at all to talk to me like that. You have no idea how much I've been through, because of the troubles that _you _caused!"

"What are you talking about? When have I ever given you or Okaa-chan anything to think about?" Sora yelled.

"You have no idea..." he just shook his head.

"...I need to leave," Sora trembled, and turned to head out of the dining room. Rushing to his bed room, knowing full well that he shouldn't have left his little sister in there, Sora decided that he just couldn't bear to go back and face his father again. He slammed his door, leaned against it and slowly slumped down to the carpeted floor.

* * *

Sora, placing his head in his hands, sighed deeply. _Roxas... I want to see him._

_But why? Why do I always want to see him when I feel... like this. Like my whole world is falling apart? What can he possibly do to help me? _Sora then remembered how Roxas had taken care of him the last time something like this had happened.

He remembered what they talked about, what they did, the drawing, the food. _The piano. The beautiful song... that was somewhat sad. The music school... Hang on. The music school._

_The piano book! I have a piano book from Aerith Gainsborough Music School. Now where did I put that again? _Sora stood up in a flash and started searching his shelves. _Stupid books that I don't even read. I haven't even read... about two-thirds of this. Why are they even here?_

_More importantly, why am I even looking for that damn piano book? What's it got to do with- _Sora spotted it laying on a random pile of magazines that he'd never touched much less seen. _Huh... that's weird, I thought I put this in the shelf... Whatever, it doesn't matter. _

Sora opened the book and read the front cover. _Property of Aerith Gainsborough Music School... This really is the piano book. From the memory I can't remember..._

He skimmed through the pages. Song titles that seemed familiar. He passed by one entitled, "空"

"_Sora..._ Sky. My name," Sora had to smile. _There's a song that uses my name for a title. _ Of course Sora knew that it could've been anyone. Sora was a common name. And he knew that it might've not been about a person at all. It could've been about the actual_ sky. _But that didn't cross his mind. He just felt happy that he found something to take his mind off of what had just happened.

He looked at the notes, and although he had no idea how to read them, he somehow knew, or rather, felt, that the song was upbeat, cheery, and bright. _Mental note, ask Roxas to play this song for me to see if I was right. _

He kept on skimming through the pages and it landed on, "Memories in Pieces". _Huh... that sounds interesting. _But he felt no particular emotions about it. At least, not as much as the song that had the same name as him.

_What was the title of the song that Roxas played again?... uh... uhm... Gah! I don't remember! _He continued to flip through the pages until he finally saw it. _Dearly Beloved. That's it. Ah. Darn. I can't remember how it went. _

_Oh well... _Sora found it hard to put the book down. For some reason, his subconscious was telling him that the book was important. So important in fact that he felt an urge to bring the book to Roxas and ask him about it in the middle of the night, right after Sora's dad had kicked him out. _That's... not gonna work huh... at least not tonight._

He sighed, _I'll just talk to him about it at school._

* * *

At school, Sora tried his best to look for Roxas. He even found himself talking to Roxas's friends. People that he had never thought of talking to before. They seemed nice, and Sora had nothing against them, but it seemed that they had something against him. One blonde girl in particular. _Namine I think... was her name. She... looked absolutely livid when she saw me approach their table. _

Sora found out that Roxas didn't go to school that day. He went home dejected. _I guess I brought the piano book for nothing... I'll just ask him tomorrow..._

Reaching his home, his phone rang in his pocket. "Riku?" He asked before he answered it.

"Yeah?"

_"Hey... I was wondering if you wanted to hang out. Kairi's been looking for you."_

"Oh... Sorry. I can't today..."

_"Sora... is there anything we can do to help?"_

"No Riku. It's alright. It's between me and my family. You guys don't have to get involved."

_"But Sora-"_

"Look Riku. I... just... I don't want to talk about it. Especially not over the phone_._"

_"Okay. I'm sorry."_

"...No. I am. Anyway... Kairi's there?"

_"Yeah... She's worried about something man. What happened?"_

"It's uh... between me and her..."

_"Oh. Okay." _He sounded hurt.

"Can I... talk to her?" _This is it... I have to tell her. But over the phone? Isn't that a bit harsh?... No. I have to do it. I have to tell her that I only think of her as a sister._

_"Yeah, hold on."_

_"Hey Sora!" _came her bright preppy voice.

"Hey... Kairi."

_"So... what did you want to tell me?"_

"Uh. Uhm. Yeah... I was... going to tell you that..." _I really can't do it. I can't break her heart over the phone._

_"Yes?"_

"I... uh. I'm sorry, I have to give... what you said before, some more thought. Please give me more time."

She laughed. _"Of course silly head. I'm gonna wait as long as you need me to."_

_Yeah.. because that makes me feel so much better... _Sora rolled his eyes. "Yeah. Thanks. I'll talk to you guys later. Bye!"

He hung up quickly. Before she even had the chance to say 'goodbye' back. But he didn't really care. He went inside the house, having stayed outside of it on the duration of the conversation. He planned to go to his room, and avoid talking to anybody. But that was a difficult task. Especially when his two parents, on the verge of divorce, were having an argument right at their living room, which was where the front door lead to.

"Why didn't you know about this? You're always home! Shouldn't you have at least payed attention?" His father yelled.

"I work too you know. I'm not some housewife that always stays at home! And it's not just my fault! If you hadn't been on one of your business trips, you probably would've seen _him _too!" His mother screamed.

"So this is my fault now?" asked his angry father.

"Yes! Everything is your fault! You and your goddamned business trips!" She exploded.

"Those 'goddamned business trips' happen to pay for this house!"

"Half! It only pays for _half!_ I pay the other half! And only _half _of those so-called 'business trips' are actually business trips. The other _half _you spend on vacations to love hotels in foreign countries with big breasted floozies that you get from a brothel!" Her face twisted at the sight of the shock in his father's eyes.

"You didn't think I knew? Of course I'd know! I'm not stupid for crying out loud. You spend _half _of your time away with prostitutes, when you should be spending that half with your family." She slumped to the ground, her emotions finally taking the best of her.

"Stop changing the subject. We're trying to discuss how to rid our son of... of... _him._"

During the whole argument, neither parent noticed their son staring at them from the door step. But when things quieted down, they finally realized that they had an audience.

"Sora... sweetie..." his mother tried.

"Okaa-chan, save it. I don't want to hear it. If you want to have a divorce, then by all means, do it. I no longer see this man as a father. If all you said were true, then he is much worse of a person than I thought," he looked at his father disgustedly.

"Sora," his father began.

"Don't talk to me. You cheating cad!" Sora yelled and left again.

"Sora!" his mother called out. But it fell to deaf ears.

"Call Squall," she said.

"What?" Sora's father asked, confused.

"He found Sora the last time, he can probably find him again. But I wasn't telling you to call _my_ son. I was just saying it out loud."

"I swear, woman you're going crazy."

"Shut up. We need to find a solution. We need to make sure that Sora doesn't come in contact with Roxas."

"Right. Maybe, it's time to tell our kids the truth."

"_My _kids. They're not yours. You don't deserve them." She spat.

* * *

_Why can't everything just be over with? Why does it have to be so complicated?_

His legs stopped running. _And why in the hell am I here... **again**? _He looked up at Roxas's front door. But he couldn't bring himself to ring the door bell. He felt nervous. Sighing, he pulled out his phone. Scrolling to Roxas's name in his contacts, he pressed send, and the phone started to ring.

It was ringing for quite a while before Roxas finally picked up. _"H-hey..." _he said in a shaky voice.

"Roxas..." Sora let out a sigh of relief. Glad to hear his voice.

_"Sora-"_

"Roxas, I'm really sorry about my... that man. He had no right to talk to you like that, and tell you to leave that night"

_"..."_

"Anyway... uh... I'm really sorry to bother you but, I'm... outside of your house right now."

_"What?"_

"I said, I'm on your front porch. I... want to talk."

_"Sora, I-"_

"Please Roxas, I really need to talk."

_"*Sigh* Okay, I'll be down. Give me a sec." _And he hung up. Within a few seconds, Roxas was outside, clad in sweats and tank top that made Sora unable to stop himself from staring at his toned chest.

"Hey." Sora said lamely, looking away to hide his blush.

"Hi." Roxas was staring at the ground.

"You... weren't at school today."

"Yeah..."

There was an awkward pause. Sora wanted to say something but he didn't know what.

"What did you want to talk about?" Roxas broke the silence.

"Ah. Uhm. It's about... well... firs of all I want to apologize for what happened the last time," Sora bowed his head in apology. Roxas placed his hand on Sora's shoulder.

"It wasn't your fault."

"But still... he shouldn't have done what he did. I don't even know why he did that. Anyway... my parents they argued again," Sora began.

"Oh," was the only thing Roxas said to that.

"I'm starting not to care anymore. I just don't want my mother to keep hurting. If they're going to separate they should do so quickly. To make things less complicated." Sora sighed. Roxas sat down and Sora followed suit.

"The reason I wanted to come here was to talk about this," Sora took the piano book out from his backpack.

"Th-that..." Roxas trailed off.

"Yeah... I looked through it. And I saw a couple of songs that I wanted to ask you about," Sora flipped open the book and found the one that had his name.

"Sora..." Roxas read the title.

"This song... it's upbeat and cheery right?" Sora asked.

"Yeah. But, how did you know that? I thought you couldn't read sheet music," Roxas asked.

"I found that strange too. But for some reason, I thought it was."

"I remember this song, this... used to be one of your favorite songs. Mainly because it said 'Sora'," Roxas said mostly to himself.

"And this one," he showed him the "Memories in Pieces" one.

"What about this one?" Roxas asked.

"Um... I don't know. It just sounds interesting to me. A-anyway, the reason why I wanted to show this to you was because I wanted to ask you if you could play these songs for me, and maybe play Dearly Beloved again," Sora looked at Roxas with a smile.

"... Listen Sora," Roxas sighed.

"I... I don't think we should hang out anymore," Roxas looked away.

"W-what?" Sora's face faltered, his smile fell. "What do you mean?"

"I mean we shouldn't be... friends anymore," Roxas twiddled his thumbs.

"But-but why?" Sora stood up. He couldn't accept this without an explanation.

"Was it because of what _he _did?" Sora was getting angry.

"No. No. It wasn't because of that. I just think that we shouldn't hang out anymore. We're... too different."

"What are you talking about?" Sora tried to make eye contact.

"I'm sorry Sora," Roxas stood up too.

"Roxas, at least tell me straight to my face," Sora's voice almost cracked. _Why is this happening? _

"I'm going to tell Principal Ansem and Coach Wakka that you're getting a new tutor tomorrow. We don't have to hang out with each other anymore." Roxas looked directly in Sora's eyes.

"Goodbye Sora," Roxas's eyes never left Sora's. And both of them could see hurt reflected in each other's eyes. _If he's hurt then why is he doing this? _Sora thought, desperately searching for an answer in Roxas's eyes.

"Go home, Sora."

"But-"

"Just... go home," Roxas walked away from Sora and went back inside.

Sora didn't know how he got home. But all he remembered was that he couldn't sleep. But when he finally did, it was almost time for school. He looked in the mirror when he woke up, he saw bloodshot eyes, and tear stains on his face. _This sucks._

* * *

**With Roxas**

Roxas went back to his room, turned of his lights and fell on his bed. Staring up the ceiling, his hand randomly started to pat around him to feel for his phone. _I threw it on here somewhere... I shouldn't have turned the lights off yet..._

When he found it, he flipped it open and started to look for Namine's name in his contacts. He called her and waited for her to pick up.

_"Roxas?" _came her sleepy voice.

"Did I wake you up?" Roxas asked.

_"Yes. But it's okay. Did you need something?" _she yawned.

"Sora... he came over again today," Roxas sighed.

_"He talked to me today. He asked me where you were... I told him you were at home. Maybe I should have just told him to leave you alone."_

"It's okay. Sora wasn't the one who did something wrong. It was his dad," Roxas tried to defend him.

_"I know, I know. You already told me. But still, he hurt you when you were young-"_

"I hurt him more!" Roxas yelled in a whisper.

_"Roxas... please, would you just tell me whether to be nice to him or not? I'm getting confused, because one moment you're all for hating him, then the next you defend him as if he was your best friend ever."_

"... I told him that we shouldn't be friends anymore," Roxas ignored her.

_"Okay... so..."_

"So, I plan never to talk to him again," Roxas confessed.

_"You do know that that's not going to work right?"_

"Yes. I know. But I'm going to try anyway. I can't stand to be all friendly with him knowing all too well that I hurt him terribly. His parents absolutely hate me..."

_"*sigh* Whatever, Roxas. You can do what you want. Just remember that if you need someone to talk to, I'm always here."_

"Yeah. Thanks Namine. Good night," Roxas said.

"Good night," Namine hung up. The phone clicked and Roxas snapped his phone closed. He turned on his side and tried to sleep. But thoughts of Sora kept on bothering him.

"Memories in Pieces... 'interesting', huh... 'fitting', more like," Roxas remembered the song. It got his attention. _Maybe I should try playing it. _Roxas decided that he'd look for the piece tomorrow when he came home from school.

* * *

In the basement after school, Roxas rummaged through the piano books that he had. Looking for that song. When he found it, Denzel came in the basement.

"Roxas-nii," the young boy said.

"Yeah? What is it?" Roxas blew the dust off of the sheets.

"My birthday's this Saturday," Denzel went close, wanting to listen to Roxas play.

"Oh. Yeah, it is. Do you want something?" Roxas smiled at his little brother.

"Can I... have a party here?" Denzel asked.

"You should ask Tifa."

"I know. I will, I just thought that if I asked you first I could have someone to back me up once I asked her," Denzel covered his eyes with his bangs.

Roxas ruffled his hair. "Sure, I'll back you up when you ask her."

"Really? Awesome!" Denzel grinned. Roxas couldn't help but grin as well. He remembered when he was always so excited for a birthday party. Birthdays started to get old for Roxas, it wasn't as exciting as it was before. The only thing he looked forward to whenever his birthday came up was the money that he'd get. Not so much the celebration itself.

"So... are you going to play that song?" Denzel asked.

"Yeah..." Roxas trailed off and sat on the stool. Densel sat beside him.

"I haven't heard you play before," said Denzel. Roxas just smiled and placed the sheets on the stand. Reading through the notes quickly, he took a deep breath before he started to play.

Then his finger hit the first note, and all else just fell in place after that. Denzel was left in awe, staring at his brother's fingers. Amazed at how gracefully they moved across the keys, and how beautiful the sounds they produced.

When the song was finished, Roxas thought to himself, _Yeah... 'fitting' is definitely the better word to describe the song._

* * *

**Author's note II: **Yeah, so if you wanted to listen to those songs, just search up "Sora's theme piano" and it should come up. The second song is fairly easy to find as well, just look up "Memories in pieces piano" and you'd most likely find it. And the third song, if you don't know it already, is the main theme that plays in Kingdom Hearts in the start menu. But if you want to listen to it again, and I suggest you do because it's really a wonderful song, just look up "Dearly Beloved piano." :)


	11. Chapter 10

**Author's Note: **Here's Chapter 10! Looks like my summer vacation is... over. *fades like Roxas does* haha. Jk. I'll be back within a month or so... maybe two... haha. I'm sorry this is so late. But instead of writing a long apology, why don't I just give you the chapter, no? Anyways, without further ado, here you go!

* * *

**With Sora**

Sora walked into his house and spotted his mother on her phone contacting her oldest son. His father had been long gone.

"Squall, please, I know you're busy, but could you at least just tell me where you found your little brother the last time?"

"Okaa-chan," Sora said softly.

"N-nevermind dear, Sora just walked in. Take care, I love you," she clicked her phone and pocketed it.

"A-about Roxas," Sora began. His mother had a worried look cross her face quickly.

"Sora-"

"Don't worry, we're not going to be... seeing each other anymore," Sora sighed and trudged up to his room, despite his mother's efforts to get him to talk about it.

* * *

**With Roxas**

"Teef!" Denzel bounded down the stairs the next day.

"Hey there," Tifa greeted and opened her arms wide so Denzel can crash into them with a tackle.

Tifa giggled and ruffled Denzel's hair.

"Morning," she smiled. Then she looked up at the taller blonde boy that followed Denzel down.

"Mor*yawn*ning," Roxas could barely keep his eyes open.

"Someone seems cheery in the morning," Tifa teased and opened the blinds so that light flooded into their living room.

Roxas playfully glared at her, and hissed slightly while the light stung his eyes.

"Morning- gotta run," Cloud rushed passed them all, giving Tifa a kiss on the cheek, and messed up both Roxas and Denzel's hair.

"Ah Cloud-nii!" Denzel called out.

"Yeah kiddo?" Cloud stopped in his tracks.

"Can I have a party next weekend for my birthday?" Denzel looked up at him with hopeful eyes.

"Ask Tifa," Cloud grinned at the kid and winked at Tifa. Then he left.

"Well that was odd," Roxas said finally getting used to the bright lights.

"Yeah, Cloud woke up kinda late today," Tifa said.

"No, really?" sarcasm was evident in Roxas's tone. Tifa just rolled her eyes and started for the kitchen.

"What do you guys want for breakfast?" she asked, changing the topic.

"Cake!" yelled Denzel.

"It's not your birthday yet you know," Roxas laughed and poked his cheek.

"Yeah, but I'm really excited!" he was practically bouncing.

"Calm down Denzel, how big of a party do you want anyway?" Tifa tried to sound authoritative, but it was proving to be very difficult to keep a straight face when talking to an adorable little boy.

"I was thinking of having some people over," Denzel grinned.

"Well how many people?" Tifa pinched his cheek before turning to work on breakfast. Deciding that bacon and eggs wouldn't be a bad choice, she headed for their fridge.

"Hmm, there's Marlene, of course, Snow, Vanille, Hope, and Lightning," Denzel counted as he listed the names.

"So five huh?" Tifa nonchalantly answered.

"Yeah. So is it okay?"

"Of course Denzel!" Tifa turned and grinned at the boy.

"Yes! Roxas-nii, you better make a good cake this time!" Denzel stuck his tongue out.

Still in the middle of rubbing the sleep out of his eyes, Roxas agreed with a tired smile, "No prob ototou-chan."

Denzel frowned, Roxas grinned slyly. Even when he's half awake, Roxas managed to tease his little brother; Roxas knew that Denzel hated being called 'ototou-chan' because it made him feel like a baby.

"Alright boys, sit, breakfast will be ready in fifteen minutes, try not to get too hungry," Tifa warned, knowing how rowdy they got with an empty stomach.

* * *

For the first time _ever _Roxas was at school before the first bell. Roxas was never late to school, but never in his life had he been _early_. Today was an exception though. He _had _to be there early. He scheduled an appointment with their principal, Ansem the Wise; and their principal(who Roxas swore was out to torture him) decided that it should be right before school started.

Roxas sighed sitting in the office waiting to be called in. Clutching the bridge of his nose, he tried to wake himself up, while trying not to drop his backpack on the floor and use it as a pillow to sleep.

"Roxas Strife," the secretary called. Roxas stood up and walked into the office. He saw that Coach Wakka, Marluxia, and Lexaeus were all there as well.

"I assumed that this concerned these particular three members of our staff. Was I correct?" the principal laced his fingers and rested his chin on them.

"Yes," Roxas nodded curtly.

"Roxas-kun, don't tell me that you're not going to tutor Sora anymore," Coach Wakka pleaded.

"Actually Coach, that's _exactly_ what I was going to say," Roxas said.

"But why?" the Coach all but whined.

"You do know that Sora's scores have improved drastically, but he still hasn't taken the exam that we agreed to?" Marluxia raised a brow.

"Yes, I know. But I can't do it after all," Roxas looked directly into their principal's eyes.

"And why, pray tell, is that? If you recall those were our conditions right? If you couldn't tell me why then you have no valid reason not to, therefore you have to tutor Sora," unlacing his fingers, the principal laid back in his desk chair, looking down on Roxas.

"It's..." Roxas trailed off. "In any case, I'm backing out, yes, but I have a replacement."

"A replacement?" Roxas could tell that, by the way the principal's brows raised up, Ansem hadn't expected that.

"Yes, that's fine right? I'm not the only person in this school capable of tutoring a star athlete on the verge of failure. Besides, there's only a few weeks left before the tests he has to take," Roxas reasoned.

"Well, I have no objections to that," Marluxia approved. Lexaeus, ever the quiet one, nodded in agreement. Coach Wakka however, didn't look convinced.

"Look Roxas-kun. I trust you, that's why I requested you to be Sora's tutor. I know that you're a good and smart kid, and I know that you have an affinity for blitzball. So I know that you won't let our school's team down. However, this replacement, I don't know him, so how can I trust that he will take care of my star player?" Coach Wakka demanded.

"The replacement is a close friend of mine. She's very smart too, and she'll do her job right, especially if she gets paid the same amount as I was," Roxas began. "Her name is Namine."

"Ah, Ms. Namine. I've heard of a great many things of her. A good artist no?" Ansem recovered from his shock and his face returned to its stoic composure.

"Yes. And she's willing to do the job. Just as long as she gets paid," Roxas said.

"Very well then, I have no objections."

"Nor have I," Marluxia stated. And Lexaeus nodded.

"But-"

"We all agree, correct?" Principal Ansem cut him short.

"Y-yes," Coach Wakka's voice faltered.

* * *

"Roxas, you owe me big time!" Namine punched his arm during lunch.

"I know. I know, but you earn more tutoring Sora than working at that cafe," Roxas tried to make things better.

"That's not what's important dumb-ass!" Axel retorted for Namine.

"Her tutoring Sora means that she'll have less time to spend with me! And it also means that she'll be alone in another guy's house! That's dangerous!" Axel almost went on a rampage.

"Shut up Axel," Xion piped up, "You're gonna give me a head ache. Besides. It's no worries, I'm gonna be there."

"Still, that doesn't explain why Roxas isn't tutoring Sora anymore," Hayner looked at Roxas. He stiffened and looked to Namine to cover for him.

"You guys, it's Roxas's choice. He doesn't have to answer that question if he doesn't want to," Zexion spoke out, much to everyone's surprise.

"Ah. Right, sorry," Hayner scratched the back of his head. Olette patted his hand and gave him a gentle look that made him smile.

**With Sora on the other side of the lunch room**

Sora sighed, staring at Roxas from all the way across the cafeteria. He was still confused as hell. Why did Roxas suddenly say those things? Did he really not want to associate with Sora anymore?

Riku took notice of his friends troubled state, and decided to ask.

"Sora, is there something wrong?"

"Huh?" Sora was woken from his reverie.

"I asked you if there was anything you were worrying about," Riku rephrased.

"Oh. Uh. No," Sora stammered. Riku bit his lip. Something was up, something different from what was happening between him and Kairi. But that something was much harder to decipher. So he asked about the latter instead.

"Sora... about you and Kairi," Riku began, figuring that now was as good a time as any.

"Oh!" Sora suddenly blushed.

"I knew it, there's something going on between you two," Riku's eyes narrowed.

"What? No! Of course not!" Sora laughed nervously.

"You're a terrible liar," Riku rolled his green orbs at his friend.

Putting his head down, dejected, Sora felt that he should just tell his friend what was happening between him and Kairi. He took a deep breath before lifting his head up and talking.

"Kairi... asked me out."

Riku was silent for a few seconds.

"WHAT?" he exclaimed.

"Shh... Don't be so loud, everyone will hear," Sora raised a finger to his lips.

"Knowing Kairi, half the female population of the city probably already knows," Riku scoffed.

"And since women gossip, and you're pretty popular, the majority of the school probably knows too," Riku continued.

"Okay. So it's not a secret. Still... this is a private matter..." Sora sighed.

"What are you gonna do man?" Riku asked.

"I don't know, what do you think?" Sora asked, genuinely confused.

"Well, if I give you my _real _opinion, you might not like it," Riku said.

"Just tell me. I'm desperate here, I really don't know what to do," Sora pleaded.

"Well, being a notorious womanizer, I'd say no. Don't agree to it. Being tied down to one woman isn't how men should roll," Riku looked at Sora's confused and slightly offended expression and sighed.

"But of course, you're different. I don't know dude. Do you like her?" he asked.

"... Of course I like her. But... as a sister. Nothing more. I-I just can't think of kissing her. It's like... incest!" Sora shuddered in disgust.

"Well there you go. Tell her that. But be nicer about it," Riku said offhandedly.

"That's the thing. I don't know how to be nicer about it. I'm pretty sure anything I say that means 'no' will make her cry and hate me," Sora placed his head in his hands.

"Just tell her dude. It's better if she knows the truth." Riku patted Sora's back. Sora groaned. Then as an after thought, Riku added:

"Huh. This is like... the first time you've _really_ opened up to me about your problems."

"Who are you and what have you done with Sora?" he teased.

Sora laughed, "Yeah... it's just... There's too many things going on, I just need to unload." Sora raised his head.

Kairi was making her way towards them. Sora gulped. He had to do it.

He had to do it _today._

* * *

"Hey Kairi, we need to talk," Sora pulled her away after school.

"Of course," Kairi smiled. Then she waved at Selphie. Selphie winked and mouthed something that resembled 'good luck'.

"So what is it?" Kairi asked once they've gone a good distance away from the throngs of people rushing to get home.

"About... what you asked me," Sora swallowed. Kairi held her breath.

"Yes?"

"I... I..." Sora didn't know how to phrase it.

"I... Look. Kairi, I love you. You're one of my best friends, and life without you is... something that I can't picture," Sora began. Kairi's eyes widened. Her hopes were getting raised.

"But," Kairi's heart deflated. Sora swore that he heard something crack, and he felt like a complete ass.

"But?" Kairi was afraid to ask.

"But... life with you and only you is something I can't picture either. I hope you know what I'm saying," Sora bit his lip. Tears were gathering in Kairi's eyes, and Sora didn't want them to fall. It would break _his _heart if she cried.

"Sora..." Kairi looked confused and hurt.

"Kairi. W-what I'm saying is... I love you. I love you so much. But as a friend, a sister. Nothing more. And... I'm sorry, but it could never be more," Sora opted to just be straightforward.

But this path obviously led to the inevitable. Kairi's tears fell, but she still tried to smile. The sight was pitiful and Sora hated himself for causing it. He wrapped his arms around her.

"I'm sorry Kai. I'm really sorry," Sora apologized.

"It's... It's okay. Thank you for telling me the truth," Kairi's voice was muffled.

"Thank you for being so understanding. I'm glad you're one of my best friends," Sora hugged her tighter. Then they broke apart and Kairi wiped her eyes. She gave him a genuine smile.

"See ya around Sora," Kairi waved and walked back to Selphie.

* * *

Sora had been very antisocial in the past few days after he rejected Kairi. Kairi avoided him for obvious reasons, and Selphie didn't bother to talk to him because she was mad at him for breaking Kairi's heart.

Riku and Tidus were both concerned for Sora's well-being but Sora wouldn't talk. He went back to the introverted shell he always hides in when there was a problem. But it was very hard to be antisocial when someone was as popular as Sora.

People had been pestering him about the Kairi incident. Sora couldn't comment at all.

Sora would go home right after school. Blitzball practice was dreadfully boring. And it had started to sink into him that he and Roxas would never be able to speak to each other again.

He felt... depressed.

But then one day, an unexpected person comes over from Roxas's side of the lunch room, to Sora's side of the lunchroom.

She looked uncomfortable with all the stares the 'popular' people gave her.

"Hi, um. My name is Namine. I'm going to replace Roxas as your tutor," she held out her hand. The others looked shocked.

"Tutor?" Riku asked, confused.

"Ah!" Sora, what with all the things that had been happening, had forgotten that he tried to keep it a secret that he was being tutored. Oh well, too late for that now.

"Yeah... sorry I didn't tell you guys," Sora hung his head.

"Dude, if you needed tutoring, you could've just asked me," Riku said.

"Yes, and get an F? No thanks," Sora rolled his eyes, retaining his good humored sense even when he was being 'depressed'.

"Haha, yeah. Sitll, you didn't have to hide it. You're an athlete, so of course you wouldn't have enough time to study," Tidus laughed.

"Or enough attention span," Namine muttered. She obviously didn't like this crowd.

"Excuse me?" Riku raised a brow.

"Riku, it's fine. She's right," Sora defended. Namine's brows furrowed. Why was Sora being nice?

"So, uh, my house tomorrow after school? I have no practice tomorrow so... yeah," Sora said. Namine nodded.

"See you tomorrow," she gave a quick bow and left as soon as her head went up. Sora sighed. After that short break, he was back to antisocial mode again.

* * *

Namine walked into Sora's mansion of a house. A little girl was sitting on the couch with Sora, assuming that she was Sora's little sister, she gave a polite bow to both of them.

"Hello," She greeted.

"Hi," Sora felt the awkward tension in the air.

"Um. Well... Do you want to start?" Sora asked offering the empty seat next to him.

"Y-yeah," Namine felt the awkwardness as well. Just a few days ago she had been rather rude to Sora. Nonetheless, she took the seat.

"U-um, where's Xion?" she asked.

"Oh, well, Nee-chan and I don't really talk, but she's probably in her room right now," Sora swallowed.

"O-okay. So, what subject do you and Roxas usually start with?" Namine looked at Sora. He winced at the mention of his name, Namine caught it and took note of it.

"Uh, well, let's just start with Bio?" Sora suggested.

"Sure," Namine agreed. The phone rang and Sora turned to his little sister who was looking at Namine in a scrutinizing way.

"Can you get that Marlene?" Sora asked.

"Yeah," Marlene mumbled, her eyes never leaving Namine. Namine felt like she was being examined by a scientist. When she left, Sora laughed nervously, then cleared his throat, making Namine look at him.

"Don't worry about her. She's just like that with strangers... Well, female strangers," Sora smiled.

"Okay."

* * *

It had been fifteen minutes, Sora was working on a Biology worksheet and Marlene came back with a grin on her face.

"Sora-nii, I'm going to a party this Saturday!" she grinned.

"Oh really? That's great! Whose?" Sora asked offhandedly.

"Denzel's!" Marlene exclaimed, "Roxas-kun's little brother."

The led tip of Sora's mechanical pencil broke off. "O-oh, that's wonderful. Is it his birthday?"

"Yeah!" Marlene was giddy. Namine watched the girl with fascination. She had completely ignored Namine.

"So, can I go?" she asked.

"Of course you can, you don't have to ask me," Sora smiled at her.

"Hmm.. yeah. But, Denzel asked me if you wanted to go," Marlene went on.

"..." Sora stopped working.

"If it helps, Roxas is really confused so maybe talking to him would actually help. Figure things out together, you know?" Namine entered the conversation. Marlene's head whipped back to her, as if she had appeared from nowhere.

"You know Roxas-kun?" she asked, she had seemed to be warming up to Namine quickly.

"Yeah, he's my best friend!" Namine laughed.

"Is he your boyfriend?" Marlene asked innocently. Actually, Sora had been wondering about that too.

"What? No! He's just a friend. I have a boyfriend though, but it's not him," Namine smiled. Marlene grinned.

"Good!"

"Huh?" Sora was confused.

"Because Roxas-kun is going to be my boyfriend!" Marlene said triumphantly. Sora raised his brow.

"_What_ are you_ saying_ Marlene? This is the first time I've heard of this!" Sora was horrified.

"Roxas-kun is cool! He's handsome, and smart, and I bet he's good at sports too!" Namine giggled at the little girl. She had totally fallen for him.

"You know, I have a lot of information about Roxas. He's also good at playing the piano, and he can draw too," Namine grinned. She felt like she was bragging about her son.

"Really?" Marlene's eyes lit up. "Roxas-kun is amazing!"

"Yeah.. he is..." it came from Sora. He mumbled it, but both Marlene and Namine heard it.

"Sora-nii, do you like Roxas-kun too?" Marlene asked. Oh how wonderful it was to be young, to not know the meaning of boundaries.

"What? No! That's- No! Gross! Roxas and I- We're not- I don't- No!" Sora sputtered. Bemused, Namine watched Sora try to defend himself. But it was to no avail. No matter what he said, the blush painted across his cheeks was a contradiction. Not unless of course, if he admits it, then the blush serves as a confirmation.

"What's this? The school's prodigy blitzball player is gay? And what's more is that he's gay for a nobody like Roxas?" Namine teased.

"No!" Sora covered his face. "Hey!" Sora frowned.

"It's okay to like him Sora-nii! I mean, what's not to like?" Marlene asked.

"He's a boy Marlene. I'm a boy too! It's not right!" Sora blushed deeply.

"I'm sorry Sora. I'm just teasing to make you smile again. It's weird seeing anyone as popular as you down in the dumps," Namine smiled.

"I didn't mean what I said."

"Good," Sora gave her a shy smile back.

"Or did I?" A smirk crept up her face.

"Namine!" Sora blushed again.

"She's right though Sora-nii, you've been all sad since Roxas-kun stopped coming over. Maybe you should go to the party to get your spirits back up!" Marlene tugged on her brother's hand.

"What? No, I-"

"You're going! You're going with me and that's final! You need to have fun!" Marlene decided. Sora sighed. There was no way out of that.

* * *

Saturday came and Marlene was excited to go and play with his best friend, and also to see her precious Roxas-kun. She practically dragged Sora out of their house as soon as the clock struck 3:30 pm. The party was at 4:00, and since they had to walk to get there, Marlene wanted to leave as soon as possible.

"I'm so excited! I wonder what games we're going to play!" Marlene squealed.

"I'm sure you'll have fun!" Sora grinned.

"Uhuh! And you should talk to Roxas-kun. Sort things out with him so he can come over again. Okay?" Marlene smiled.

"Okay."

"Promise?"

"I promise," Sora sighed.

* * *

When they got there, everything had been set up for a children's party. Sora felt really weird being there. He wanted to see Roxas, and talk to him, but he had no idea what to talk about.

"Happy Birthday Denzel!" Marlene greeted her best friend with a hug.

"Thank you Marlene."

"Happy Birthday Denzel-kun," Sora smiled.

"Sora-nii! You came!" Denzel grinned.

"Yeah, Marlene made me."

Denzel laughed, then he pointed to the kitchen. "Roxas-nii's in the kitchen if you wanted to talk to him."

"T-thanks." Sora smiled and watched the two friends leave to go upstairs. Sora was left alone downstairs with Roxas. He was nervous.

Gulping, he walked in the kitchen. Roxas was wearing an apron and there was flour on his cheeks. His spiky golden locks were pinned back so that there wasn't any hair covering his face.

He looked messy, but he still looked _fine_. Sora tried to be silent so that he could continue just watching him, but Roxas noticed him and almost dropped the bowl he was washing.

"Sora... I thought-"

"Marlene dragged me here. I had no choice. I'm sorry." Sora said all too quickly.

"No. No. I'm sorry. I didn't mean it like that. It's just... I'm surprised. Aren't you afraid that your father will find out?" Roxas shook his head to clear it of his thoughts.

"Well... I don't really care at his point. They can be mad all they want." Sora took a step closer. Roxas looked at Sora's features. He missed seeing him, talking to him, and hanging out with him. And by the way Sora's under eye circles looked, Sora wasn't feeling all too happy about not being able to see Roxas either.

"Sora, listen, about what I said-"

"Roxas... I'm sure you didn't mean it-"

"No. You're wrong. I did. I meant it. But that doesn't mean I want to mean it." Roxas looked around trying to find a better way to say it. Sora stepped even closer, then he wrapped his arms over Roxas's shoulders, tiptoeing a bit to reach them.

"Sora..."

"I missed you Roxas," Sora closed his eyes. Then he was reminded that what they were doing, or rather what _Sora_ was doing, looked wrong in so many ways. He quickly pulled away, but before he could get far enough, Roxas dropped the bowl in the sink and pulled Sora close, embracing his arms over Sora's back.

"I... missed you too..." Roxas couldn't help but feel that it had been so long since they last hung out with each other. But it had only been a week or so. When they pulled away, they stared at each other. A blush forming on both of their cheeks.

"Roxas... I..." Sora trailed off. Acting on instinct, he leaned upwards. Their faces come close. Too close. They almost kiss. But the door bell rings and both of them were reminded of reality.

"U-uhm." Roxas let go of Sora. Sora placed his feet back flat on the ground and stepped back.

"I'll go get that..." Roxas trailed off and left.

Sora leaned against the counter, eyes wide, and his hand over his mouth.

_Holy fuck. I'm in love with Roxas._


	12. Chapter 11

**Author's Note: **Chapter 11. Gosh Darn it School! Why are you making me so busy? And stupid money... gah. I need a job. :(... just ranting... Haha. Anyway, sorry for the delay. It's going to take me a long while before I can finish this... oh gosh. I'm really really sorry. But I won't let this die, so, yeah, here you go! And if you lost interest, or are losing interest in this story, I completely understand(because I do that sometimes too) and I won't be all bitchy about it(not that I can really do anything about it, because this is the internet after all). Just yeah, to those who are staying with me, THANK YOU VERY MUCH XDDD! Your support really helps, and it makes me motivated.

* * *

_What the fuck was that? _Roxas shook his head as he went to answer the door. Kids about Denzel's age, all with crazy hair colors grinned up at him, obviously having met him before.

"Hey, you guys, come in!" Roxas beamed. Peering from the kitchen, Sora tentatively stuck his head out to watch Roxas from afar. The children were absolutely delighted at seeing him. _Well, who wouldn't be... I mean, Roxas is... Roxas. _Sora blushed seeing for the first time how much he actually thought of Roxas, and how greatly he held him in his mind.

"Denzel's upstairs with Marlene, you guys already know where his room is, food will be ready in a few minutes," Roxas ushered all four-Snow, Lightning, Vanille, and Hope-up the stairs.

Sighing, Roxas went back to the kitchen only to almost bump into Sora. Sora immediately colored and ran away with a squeak. _Friends... Sora and I... are friends right? But what was that?..._

_I guess we're not really in the friends zone, especially after that incident. I thought that I will never ever consider him as a friend... I guess I was right in a way, I still don't consider him as a friend... but... what exactly is he to me? _Roxas thought as he placed the finishing touches on the food he was serving. He jumped when the phone rang.

"H-hello?" he asked when he picked it up.

"Roxas! How's everything going?" Tifa asked.

"Teef! It's great! All the kids are here, I just finished preparing the food, and..." Roxas debated on whether he should tell her that Sora was there, "yeah, they're all upstairs. I was just about to call them down." He decided not to.

"Oh, okay. Wonderful. I'm really sorry I can't be there for the most part. But I promise I'll be back as soon as I can. It's just that-"

"Teef, it's okay. You're doing it for Cloud-nii. You should be there as moral support," Roxas cut her short.

"Look at you being more mature and understanding," Tifa teased.

"Shut up, I'm getting older, I'm bound to be more mature at some point," Roxas tried not to roll his eyes.

"Yeah. You are getting old," Tifa laughed.

"Ha. Ha. Anyway, shouldn't you be going now? Isn't the meeting supposed to start soon?" Roxas asked.

"Yeah. I should. Cloud's coming over this way. Talk to you later Roxas, we'll be home as soon as we can," Tifa said.

"Yeah, bye," said Roxas.

"Oh! Cloud says be careful, you're in charge so if anything happens he blames you. Oh and, he says to wish him luck," Tifa whispered the last part.

"Tell him good luck for me," Roxas laughed.

"Okay, gotta go, love you Roxas, tell Denzel happy birthday from me and Cloud, we love him-"

"Bye Tifa," Roxas clicked the phone and shook his head. _Good thing Tifa and Cloud aren't here._

"Hey, who was that?" Sora finally got the guts to be in the same room as Roxas again.

"Oh, that was Tifa," Roxas acted like nothing weird had happened at all. Relieved, Sora went on doing the same thing as he did.

"They're not going to be here?" Sora asked.

"Yeah," Roxas said, "Cloud-nii has a meeting for our family's company. It's about this major change he's proposing in the system, and it's really complicated. Cloud-nii's been working on it for a long time.

"Tifa came with him for moral support," Roxas smiled.

"Oh really?" Sora tried not to look directly in Roxas's eyes. Because if he did, he would definitely faint, or get a nosebleed, whichever came first.

"Yeah... so, uh, it's time to eat, I'll go call the kids," Roxas noticed how Sora was avoiding his eyes. He felt the awkwardness come back full blast. He had to get out of there.

Sora felt the same, and he let out a sigh of relief when Roxas finally left. After Roxas had called the kids down, they ate, the kids went back up, and the awkwardness that settled didn't go away. At least until it was time for Sora and Marlene to leave.

When they left, they shared an uneventful good-bye which left Sora in a flustered state while walking home with Marlene in tow.

* * *

"So did you work things out with Roxas-kun?" Marlene looked up, while holding onto Sora's hand.

"Huh?" just by mentioning his name, Sora got flushed.

"Is Roxas-kun going to come back?" Marlene asked. Sora scratched the back of his neck with a free hand.

"Er... well, not really," he said. _I think I might've made it worse... crap._

"Hmm.. well, you'll see him at school right? You should talk to him," She said.

"... I'll try," Sora got lost in thought, plotting what he should do.

* * *

At school the following Monday, Sora tried to muster up courage to talk to Roxas during lunch. But he had absolutely no idea what to say. So instead, he bumped into Namine, and talked to her.

"Hey Sora!" she beamed.

"Hi!" Sora grinned.

"So, how did things go?" Namine asked as if she didn't know already.

"Uh..." Sora started.

"Pretty well..." he lied. Namine raised a brow.

"Not from what I heard," she said.

"W-what did you hear?" Sora said slowly.

"Well, a little birdy, aka Roxas, told me that you tried to kiss him..." she trailed off.

"Yeah?" Sora really wanted to know what Roxas thought about it.

"And well..." Namine built up the suspense, but it deflated when she said, "he didn't really talk much about it. He just said that he'll just pretend it didn't happen because he didn't know what to think of it."

"Holy crap I'm such and idiot!" Sora yelled.

"Sora, don't be too hard on yourself, you're confused, and so is he... but he's probably more confused than you are. Besides, don't you have other problems?"

Sora groaned.

"Sorry, sorry, it's just... I don't think you should be worrying about it too much. Roxas is a guy, and when guys don't understand things, they usually just ignore it and pretend it didn't happen."

"Well... I don't want to think about my other problems. And Roxas is a pretty good distraction," Sora looked down.

Namine sighed. "Tell you what, this coming Friday, when I come to your house, after we work on Math, I'll tell you all you need to know about Roxas to get him to at least talk to you again."

Instantly, Sora's face brightened. "Really? You'll really do that?"

"Yeah, over the past week or so, I've come to like you. You're a funny kid, and your little sister is such a cutie! And if you've lived with Xion your whole life, even if you don't get along with her, you must be a very good, nice, and patient person," Namine laughed.

Sora did as well, and gave Namine a hug. Namine hugged back and their laughter died down.

From afar, Kairi watched the two with jealousy flaming in her eyes. Crushing the low-fat milk carton in her hands, she tried not to make a scene and turned away.

* * *

Roxas laid on his bed, having finished all that he needed to be done that day. He closed his eyes and tried to drift off to sleep but all he could do was think of what had happened during the week end.

Roxas tried not to think about it. He really did. But it was kind of hard not to think about another guy trying to kiss you-and possibly liking it-when you're a teenage boy. He thought about it. Roxas knew and accepted the fact that you don't really choose who you fall in love with. Guy or girl. It's love, and that's that. But Roxas still was a teenage boy, and of course, to most teenage boys, being attracted to other teenage boys was wrong. It was taboo. Something frowned upon. Something that wasn't _right._

Nonetheless, he honestly considered whether he was that way or not. Or whether it was just his hormones. But of course, Roxas never really got fully round to the answer to his own question.

So, the day after the party, he told Namine what had transpired, and he told her that he really had no idea what to do about it, so he'll try to forget it. At least if it doesn't happen again. Namine was giddy, and almost jumping for joy when she heard this news. For reasons Roxas had no idea what, Namine seemed to think that Roxas was just confused and that eventually he would realize his true feelings for Sora.

Of course Roxas brushed this off. _Why in the world would I have feelings for Sora? _He thought to himself. But then again, all he could think of _was _Sora, and he hasn't been able to get him out of his mind.

In the end, Roxas went to sleep with one final thought in his mind that he was determined to keep... at least until something else happened related to it;

_It didn't happen. I don't have feelings for him. And I'm not **gay**_.

* * *

"Sora, we need to talk," Kairi slammed her tray on the lunch table one day. Sora was buried in his phone, texting Namine.

"Kairi?" Sora asked absently.

"We need to talk," she said again.

"About?" Sora dared to look up. Kairi hadn't been speaking with him for the longest time, so it's strange to see her like that.

"Who was that girl?" she asked.

"What?"

"That girl you were with yesterday. You two were hugging!" She cried almost hysterically. Sora was taken aback.

"K-kairi?" he asked.

"Who was she?" Kairi fumed.

"What's wrong? She's just a friend, why do you look so angry?" Sora asked.

"Why? WHY? I'll tell you why-"

"Kairi, that's enough, it was just the new girl whose tutoring Sora," Riku cut in when he came to the table.

"Tutor? What?"

"I've been getting tutored," Sora said ashamedly. Kairi sat down, the adrenaline rush was going away.

"Oh," she said dumbly.

"Yeah..." Sora said. But Kairi still wasn't convinced. She was going to find out exactly who this girl was, and what she's doing with _her _Sora.

* * *

After school, Sora came up to talk to Namine really quickly about a question that he had in Biology. Kairi followed him discreetly, making sure that he didn't notice, and that Namine didn't notice either.

"Hey!" Sora smiled. Namine did too, and she waved to her friend and walked towards Sora.

"Yes? How may I help you?" she asked.

"About Bio, I had a question about one of the ecosystems," Sora began. Kairi listened intently.

"Oh, which one?" Namine asked.

"The uhm, Tropical Rain Forest..."

"Yes?"

"I was wondering what the difference is between tropical rain forests and just regular rain forests," said Sora.

"Oh well you see..." Kairi began to tune out what Namine had said. Obviously they really were just friends, and Namine really was just his tutor. She found it pointless and was about to turn back when...

"So... have you decided on what you should do about Roxas?"

"Oh... uh no..."

"Well, I have information that I didn't tell you yesterday, but I just realized that I should probably tell you about it," Namine's voice grew sly.

"Yeah?" Sora asked.

"I think he likes you too," Namine said only loud enough for Sora to hear. But Kairi was close enough to hear, and she could not believe her ears. So she listened some more.

"What? How do you know?"

"Well, he was being really vague about describing how he felt about the... incident, but I'm sure he liked it. He had this almost dreamy look on his face. Trust me, I know when Roxas likes someone, he and I go way back."

"Are you sure though?"

"Positive."

Sora grinned and hugged Namine again.

"Over the past few days I've been realizing how much I really like him, and this means that I have a chance to get him to admit that he likes me," he said.

"You're welcome, Sora," Namine grinned as well.

"Thanks so much for telling me. I feel a lot better about liking him now," Sora couldn't help but smile.

Shell shocked, Kairi walked away from them without bothering to be discreet. They still didn't see her though. But Kairi was so confused. _Sora? My Sora? **Gay? **_she thought the last word with disdain. _Something must be done. I have to prove to Sora that there's no way they could ever be together. _

* * *

"Slephie, we need to talk," Kairi immediately phoned her best friend. She recalled all that she heard, and Selphie was shocked too.

"Oh my gosh, what do you plan to do?" Selphie asked.

"I was kinda wondering if you'd help me with my plan. We have to show them that they're really straight, and then once Sora's heart broken, he'll come to me," Kairi said, with an almost maniacal tone to her voice.

"I don't know Kairi, maybe we shouldn't interfere," said Selphie.

"Selphie, we _have _to interfere. This is Sora! The star blitzball player. He can't possibly be **gay.**"

"You'll help me right?"

Afraid to upset her, she reluctantly agreed, "Okay."

* * *

The next day, Kairi was sitting next to Sora and was scantily dressed with a tight black dress. A lot of cleavage and legs showing.

"So Sora, how was your day?" Kair flipped her hair back and fluttered her eyes at him. Sora raised a brow and stared down at her skimpy clothing.

"Aren't you cold? Maybe you should wear my sweater," Sora offered. Kairi shook her head.

"No, it's alright, I'm not cold. Actually, I'm pretty hot," Kairi fanned herself and unbuttoned one of the buttons of her dress, making her already low cut shirt show even _more _cleavage.

Sora took no notice and shrugged back to his food.

"So hey Riku, did you see the game last night?" Sora started a conversation, but when he looked up, he saw Riku staring wide-eyed at Kairi, almost disapprovingly.

"Kairi? I think you should wear my sweater," Riku took off his sweater.

"No, I'm perfectly fine," Kairi smiled. "Besides, if I'm cold I'll just scoot closer to Sora, that's alright right?"

"Uh.. I guess?" Sora said. Grinning, Kairi squished her body against Sora's side. Sora was confused by her actions but went back to his food again.

From a few tables away, Namine watched the scene unfold with amusement. She could see how hard Kairi was trying, and she could also see how Sora didn't pay attention at all. Xion however, couldn't handle it.

"Ugh, that's gross. Couldn't they take their PDA elsewhere? This is the cafeteria, people eat here," Xion rolled her eyes.

"Well why don't you go up there and tell them that?" Namine said, wanting more lunchtime entertainment.

With a glint in her eyes, Xion agreed.

"Yeah, it'll be funny to tell that skank off," Xion smirked and got up.

"Hey, can you please let go of my brother?" Xion said loudly so that everyone would stop talking.

"Excuse me?" said Kairi. Sora was shocked into silence. _What the, Nee-chan? _ Sora thought.

"My brother seems to not be enjoying this," Xion said, but of course she didn't mean it. For all she knew they could really be dating. But she was bored and she felt like she should do something about the not-so-obvious flirting going on.

"The last time I checked, Sora can tell for himself what he's enjoying, and what he isn't."

"Well then, I'm sure Sora can tell you right now that he really doesn't _enjoy _you smashing your breasts against his arm while he's trying to eat, and he really doesn't _enjoy _seeing his one of his best friends in whore clothing, and he really doesn't _enjoy _you trying to feel up on him in public."

The cafeteria was quiet. They had no idea what was going on. Heck, even Xion had no idea what was going on.

Kairi's eye twitched and she stormed out fuming.

* * *

After school, Roxas sat by himself, waiting for his friends at the front of the school. He had missed the whole thing during lunch, he had to do work for his teacher. He sighed, his stomach was grumbling.

"Hey there," Selphie bounced next to him.

"Hi..." Roxas tilted his head, trying to remember who she was.

"I'm Selphie, remember, we met during that one time you played blitzball with the guys," she grinned.

"Oh. Hi!" Roxas finally recognized her.

"How's it going?" she asked.

"Pretty good... Was there anything that you needed?" he asked.

"Nothing in particular, I just wanted to talk," Selphie grinned and stared at Roxas. Roxas felt uncomfortable and tugged at his shirt.

"Is there... something wrong with my face?" he asked.

"Yeah... it's too gorgeous," she stared into his eyes.

"...What?" Roxas tried not to smile at the compliment.

"You're really good looking you know. If you were more outgoing I'm sure you'll be the most wanted hottie at the school," Selphie smiled.

"Thanks, you're really pretty too," Roxas felt that he had to return the compliment.

"Hey, maybe we should go out to coffee sometime, maybe later today? I kind of want to know more about you," Selphie asked.

"Uh, sure, where? And what time?" Roxas scratched the back of his head.

"At the cafe by the school, and let's meet there at six, okay?"

"Sure."

"Okay, see you then," Selphie winked and bounded away.

"Well that was random," Roxas said to himself.

* * *

"Okay, I did what you told me to, now what?" Selphie asked.

"Well duh, use your charm, make him fall for you. Flirt with him!" Kairi ordered.

Selphie sighed. "Fine."

* * *

Roxas got to the cafe and met up with Selphie. They ordered two lattes and just sat there and talked.

"This is really random, why did you suddenly ask me to coffee.. er I mean latte?" Roxas asked.

"Well.. it's not really sudden. Actually, I've been having a crush on you since I first met you during that one time," Selphie lied.

"R-really..." Roxas murmured.

"You're really very handsome, and you're a good blitzball player too. Plus I heard that you're really smart. And based on what I've learned between after school and now, you're really nice."

"Thanks."

"Well, for starters. I figure I should introduce myself properly, my name is Selphie, I'm a sophomore, and I really like sports, make up, clothes, and shopping. I have fairly good grades, and my best friend is Kairi." Selphie motioned for Roxas to do the same.

"Oh, well, my name is Roxas, I'm a junior, I enjoy music, painting, drawing, and math. I don't have a problem with sports, but I prefer playing the piano over playing blitzball. I have good grades, and my best friend.. well best friends are Namine, Axel, and Xion.

"So, do you think that maybe... we could be more than friends one day?" she asked, faking a hopeful look.

"Uh.. well, I don't know. I just barely met you, so I can't tell for sure. But I do know this, I want to know more about you," Roxas wondered if he meant what he said.

"Okay... so can I have your number?"

"Sure." They exchanged numbers, and they finished their lattes.

"Can I talk to you tomorrow?" she asked.

"Yeah."

"Okay then, I have to go now. See you tomorrow! It was really nice talking with you. Thanks for coming all the way here!" She waved and left. Leaving Roxas to his thoughts.

* * *

_I... am not gay. I am not gay. I don't like Sora. I am sort of maybe attracted to Selphie. I might make her my girlfriend once I get to know her more. I am not gay._

Roxas repeated this like a mantra over and over in his head before going to sleep that night. _I'm not gay. Right? Right?_

He asked no one in particular.


	13. Chapter 12

**Author's Note: **Chapter 12. hahah. yeah, so, I don't really have that much time so forgive me if it's crappy. I haven't been able to find some quiet alone time, and it's not like I don't have a life either, so yeah... ._. Anyway. I'm gonna shut up and write the chapter now :D

* * *

Days passed and Sora had been learning so much new information about Roxas.

He heard about stories of him during middle school and he found himself falling more and more in love. He wanted to hear all of these stories coming from Roxas himself, he wanted to watch Roxas do the facial expressions that Sora imagined him doing. Sora just wanted to be a part of Roxas's life. Namine understood this, and she found it cute how Sora wanted to know every detail.

It was in no way stalker-ish... okay, maybe a little bit. But Sora didn't care, and apparently, neither did Namine.

* * *

One day, during school, Roxas came with Selphie, and they were holding hands. Sora felt his whole world implode. And it hurt.

"Namine, please tell me I'm not seeing what I'm seeing?" Sora rushed to find her as soon as he could.

"..." Namine didn't know how to respond.

"Namine... Please," Sora was being desperate, trying to hold back the tears that threatened to fall.

"I... I'm so sorry..." Namine felt really bad. Sora's breath hitched and the first tear fell, the ones that followed were unstoppable and Namine couldn't do anything but let Sora cry on her shoulder.

Kairi watched the whole scene unfold with a frown on her face. Selphie kissed Roxas's cheek and skipped over to Kairi.

"Kairi... what's wrong?" she asked.

"Perfect. Everything's perfect. It's going according to plan. Soon Sora will come crawling back to me," the frown on her face twisted into a smirk that made Selphie want to back away.

She gulped and said, "O-okay, well I'm going to class now, see ya!" Then she walked away as fast as she could.

* * *

"Hey there Roxas!" Selphie bounced her way to their lunch table in the cafeteria.

"And who might this be?" Axel nudged Roxas. He batted his elbow away and laughed a bit.

"You guys, this is Selphie. She's... my girlfriend," said Roxas. Namine and Xion both comically spit their milk all over the table.

"Gross..." Selphie muttered, thankfully, Roxas didn't hear it, or at least, he pretended not to.

"N-nice to meet you Selphie," Namine wiped her mouth.

Axel grinned at Selphie and said, "I don't know what you see in him, but take care of him 'kay?"

The rest of the group said pretty much the same things, except for Xion.

"Am I the only one here who thinks that it's kinda random that all of the sudden Roxas has a girlfriend - no offense - and we didn't even know that Roxas was interested in anyone," she said. Namine elbowed Xion and muttered, "Be polite, we'll talk about this later."

"No," Namine laughed weirdly. The conversation ended at that, and both Roxas and Selphie left the lunch room.

Sora, who watched from afar, caught Namine's eye and looked down. It made him want to cry again. He poked at his food, but didn't bother to eat it. Riku noticed this change in behavior but he figured that he shouldn't ask. Sora will tell him once he's ready... _if _he's ready.

Kairi was waiting for the right moment to come in; she thought that she should give Sora more time. She'll pounce later on.

* * *

"You know, Roxas," Selphie began.

"Hmm?" Roxas was barely paying attention.

"People are staring at us," she said.

"hmm..." Roxas was off somewhere in the depths of his thoughts.

"Roxas," Selphie called, but got no response. She tried it multiple times, and she only got his attention when she finally tugged at his arm.

"Yeah?" he asked.

"N-nevermind," she said.

"What, tell me."

"I... I'll see you later, class is about to start," Selphie stood on her tippy toes to give Roxas a kiss on the cheek, but Roxas turned and their lips met. Selphie left feeling flustered and embarrassed. Roxas however, _Why?... Why don't I feel anything? We just kissed and yet I don't feel anything._

_I'm not even blushing! _Roxas felt the urge to grab his hair and pull it because it was all too confusing.

* * *

"You seem to know what's going on," Xion whispered to Namine during art class.

"Not now Xion, Roxas is like... literally two feet away from us," Namine whispered back.

"But he's got earphones on and he's not even paying attention!" Xion half-whispered half-yelled.

"... Alright. But let's just pass notes, okay?" asked Namine.

"Fine." Xion grabbed a notebook and a pencil and wrote:

_What's going on? Why did Roxas get a girlfriend all of a sudden? And of all people, why did it have to be **her**, one of Kairi's friends? -Xion_

_Honestly, I have no idea... No wait, that's a lie. I have sort of an idea. But I can't tell you. -Namine_

_Why not? - Xion_

_Because, it's not my business to tell! -Namine_

_Then you shouldn't have mentioned it in the first place ! -Xion_

_Well, you wanted to know. -Namine_

_You could've lied! -Xion_

_This conversation's becoming pointless. -Namine_

_Well I won't stop until you tell me. -Xion_

_I'll... have to ask if I could first. -Namine_

_Then you'll tell me? -Xion_

_Yes, then I'll tell you. -Namine_

_Promise? -Xion_

_Yes, now shut up! -Namine_

_You can't tell me to shut up, we're writing notes. -Xion. _Namine glared at Xion and crumpled up the paper. Xion just stuck her tongue out. All this time, Roxas was absorbed in his own world, drawing who-knows-what in his sketchpad while listening to music.

* * *

Sora sighed for the enth time that day. Riku had had enough.

"Dammit Sora, will you please tell me what's wrong?" Riku pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Or at least just _quit _sighing!"

"I'm sorry Riku," Sora sighed... again. "It's just... complicated okay?"

"Sora," Riku started.

"I'm really sorry."

"Sora..." It was Riku's turn to sigh. "We've become distant lately. We don't really hang out anymore."

"I..." Sora didn't know what to say. He couldn't tell Riku about his problems because... he just _couldn't, _Riku would shun him. Be disgusted. He'd never talk to Sora again. At least, that's what Sora thought.

Luckily for Sora, he was cut off by the bell that dismissed school. Sora quickly left but Riku followed him, determined to get an answer. Sora stopped before he walked completely out of the classroom.

Across the hall, Roxas stood with Selphie hanging on his arm. Selphie giggled and Roxas smiled in such a way that seemed, to Sora, to be warm, gentle and affectionate. Almost crushing the half-inch binder that he held in his arms, Sora stormed off, effectively getting Riku off of his trail.

"So, Roxas, shall we go out for a date today?" Selphie asked, watching Sora by the corner of her eye.

"Yeah, sure," Roxas saw Sora leave, but he payed no attention. _What do I care what he's doing? _Roxas thought.

Namine appeared behind them and her eye twitched with fury.

"Stupid boys," she muttered.

She almost rudely pushed her way through Roxas and Selphie and managed to get out of the crowded halls in one piece. Before she could get any farther than the front of the school, her wrist was snatched by a strong grip. Looking up in surprise, Namine saw the distressed face of her boyfriend.

"A-Axel? What's wrong?" She asked worriedly.

"You know full well what's wrong!" Axel said sternly.

"What?" she raised a brow.

"You!"

"What about me?" Namine was getting more and more confused.

"You and Roxas!"

"Oh god, not this again," Namine wanted to roll her eyes.

"You and Roxas are acting really funny!" Axel exaggerated.

"No we're not," Namine sighed. "At least... I'm not."

"See! This is what I'm talking about! Why are you always worried about him?" Axel asked.

"Because he's my best friend. And you should be worried about him too!"

"But I'm more worried about losing my girlfriend to my best friend."

"Axel, you're jealous!" Namine wanted to smirk, despite her exasperation.

"Of course I am!" Axel all but exploded. "And it doesn't help that you spend all your weekends now with that idiot!"

"Don't call Sora an idiot," Namine frowned. Then she sighed. "Axel, let's not fight."

"Then tell me that you love me. And not Roxas. And not Sora."

"I love you, you dumbass! I love you more than Roxas. I love you more than Sora. I love you more than anything. But right now, you're really getting under my skin because you jump to conclusions too fast!"

Axel was about to say something, but he stopped. "Good," was all he could come up with. Namine rolled her eyes, finding it impossible to be mad at him.

"Anyway, I need to break Roxas and Selphie up," she said.

"I knew it, you do love Roxas."

"What the fuck Axel?" Namine all but screamed.

"Why are you breaking them up?"

"God, I love you, but please just... stop being such an idiot sometimes!" Namine calmed herself before she started with, "I'm breaking them up because of Sora."

"What?"

"Sora... he likes Roxas." Namine bit her lip.

"WHAT?"

"Yes, and Roxas likes him too, I can tell," Namine looked at him in the eyes to tell him that she wasn't lying.

"WHAT?" By now, Axel's eyes were bulging out of their sockets.

"Yes, and you will help me get them together."

"... But... how? Why?" Finally able to say something else, Axel asked.

"I've got my ways. We'll get those stupid boys talking. And you're helping me because I told you so. And because Sora really likes him."

"O-okay," Axel reluctantly agreed, unable to argue with his girlfriend.

* * *

Bot Axel and Namine went to Sora's house for tutoring. Namine told Axel to be quiet and not to say anything that might offend Sora.

"Hey, today's the second to the last day of tutoring before you have to take your test!" Namine pulled out a bunch of practice tests from her bag.

"Whoopie," Sora was depressed. No, that was an understatement. Sora looked like shit. He was gloomy and in no mood to take practice tests in an early Saturday morning. Especially since he could be using that time to mourn his loss.

"Come on Sora! Me and Axel are cheering you on! You'll pass the test," Namine smiled.

"I'm pretty sure that's not what he's depressed about - " Namine elbowed Axel in his gut.

"Thanks Namine. But... I really don't want to do anything, I just want to - "

"Nonsense!" Namine plowed her way up Sora's room, dragging both boys behind her. Namine got him to work on the practice tests, and she fell into a silent conversation with Axel.

"You see, this is why I need you help," Namine pointed.

"No, I don't see it. It looks like you can actually handle this all by yourself," said Axel.

"I need your help Axel. You can see how broken he is, right?" Namine ignored Axel's previous comment.

"Alright, but what exactly can I do? I barely even know the kid."

"I don't know! Just... just..."

"Namine, I'm done," Sora handed her the tests. Namine was surprised at how quickly he did it. She graded them as fast as she could and saw that Sora understood everything.

"Oh wow, you don't even need tutoring anymore, you've got this test in the bag," Namine commented.

"It... it's no big deal," Sora brushed it off.

"Sora," Namine sighed.

"So you like Roxas huh?" Axel spoke up. Sora looked at him weirdly before blushing then turned to Namine.

"You told him?"

"I'm sorry," Namine apologized.

"Whatever. It doesn't matter anyway, he's with someone else," Sora said dejectedly.

"How pathetic," Axel scoffed.

"Axel!"

"No, it's true. He is pathetic. I didn't give up when I thought you liked someone else. He shouldn't either. If he was a real man, he'd fight for the one he loves," Axel glared at Sora. Sora glared right back.

"Well, in case you didn't notice, Roxas isn't necessarily someone I can fight for. It's socially unacceptable, and wrong," argued Sora.

"Who cares! You love him don't you?"

"Yes, I do."

"Well, I guess you don't love him enough. Then it's good that you don't fight for him. Roxas doesn't need someone like you," Axel clenched his fist. Sora felt tears stinging his eyes.

"Look! If there was anything I could do, I'd do it okay? But there isn't! He's with a girl, he's not gay, heck I didn't even know _I _was gay, and he's never going to love me!"

"Damn right - "

"Stop! Both of you." Namine stood up.

"Axel, the reason I brought you here wasn't so that you could provoke him," she glowered at him, then turned to Sora, "I brought him here so that he could help me think of ways to help you get Roxas. To help you fight.

"But in a way, I guess Axel is right. I can't help you if you don't help yourself Sora. If you really love Roxas... you'll fight for him," she said, repeating Axel's words.

"But what can I do Namine?" Sora's agitation was calmed.

"I don't know. But we can think of something. Just as soon as you pass the test, okay?" Namine smiled. Sora smiled back.

"Okay." Then he turned to Axel, "Hey man, I'm sorry."

"No, I'm sorry. It's just weird you know. Roxas is my best friend..." Axel trailed off. Sora nodded, understanding.

"Alright you guys! We'll think of ways in two weeks, same place, same time. Right Sora?" Namine winked. Sora grinned and nodded.

* * *

As luck would have it, the test and the finalization of the divorce papers of Sora's parents were on the same day. _Absolutely fantastic! _Sora thought sarcastically.

_The tests that would determine possibly the rest of my high school life, and the process of my family legally becoming... not a family, are on the same day. _Sora wanted to whack his head against the desk while waiting for the proctor to enter the room with his tests.

"Alright Mr. Leonhart. You've got approximately two hours and thirty minutes to complete both tests in Algebra II and Biology. You may begin," said the proctor. A man who was unusually flamboyant and had shockingly pink hair handed him the tests and a few sharpened pencils.

"Read the directions carefully, you may use a calculator, no phones, no ipods, and... good luck!~" he grinned. Sora wanted to smack that grin off of his face, but that wouldn't be too practical. Instead, he began his test and tried to the best of his abilities to answer each and every question.

After the test was over, Sora breathed a huge sigh of relief. He felt that he did well enough, both of Roxas's and Namine's time and efforts weren't going to waste. Or so he believed.

He went home, dreading the feeling of emptiness he was sure to feel. He had always had hope before the papers were finalized, but now that it was, no shred of light was in his heart. He would never have a complete family, _And in a way, I guess I never did... _ he sighed.

When he opened the door to his house however, he was greeted by two smiling faces.

"Namine? Axel? What the - "

"Omedetou!~" Namine cheered.

"Huh?"

"For taking the test!" Axel smiled too, having grown fond of Sora a bit over the past few days.

"But I don't even know if I passed or not," Sora raised a brow.

"Well, congratulations anyway!" Namine grinned.

"Why?"

"Because today marks the first day of operation: get Roxas and Sora together! With the help of, yours truly, Axel, Marlene and..."

"Me." Xion walked into the room.

"N-nee-chan?" Sora asked.


	14. Chapter 13

**Author's note: **Well, hello there folks! I think I left the other at a cliff hanger. Honestly, I have no idea where I'm going with this story anymore because I've made a big change in my plot idea. Oh well. Whatever. I'll see how it works out. I hope you enjoy this chapter ^-^ So, I haven't really been very specific on the time this is set.

But basically, since Sora already took the test, and I said in the second chapter that ten weeks from when school started (one quarter basically) would be the date of the test. So, just in time, since in my school, first quarter just ended, I decided to put it in sync with the time right now. Which works out perfectly. Since I'm on break now, this chapter, and the one after it won't be that far apart in posting.

So stay tuned. hahah. I sound like a TV show. I'm sorry because this is much much much shorter. But don't worry the next chapter will compensate for it in length and content... I hope. Anyway, enjoy :) oh and once again, PLOT TWIST!

* * *

"N-nee-chan?" Sora couldn't believe what he was seeing.

"Don't get me wrong, I'm only here because of her blackmailing me," Xion pointed at Namine who grinned mischievously.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Namine winked at Axel.

"Honestly, Namine looks like an angel on the outside, but on the inside she's pure evil," Xion rolled her eyes.

"And that's why you all love me!" Namine smiled. Sora tried to take in all that had occurred, but it still wouldn't sink in that he and his sister were on speaking terms again. Or at least, they were close to being on speaking terms.

"Anyway, we've all decided we want to help you get together with Roxas!" Namine continued.

"This is still pretty awkward for me, but if Namine says so, then I don't have the right to say no," Axel scratched the back of his neck.

"Sora-nii must get together with Roxas-kun!" Marlene said determinedly. Sora didn't know what to say... instead he smiled warmly at all of them and nodded. Everyone couldn't help but think that Sora was adorable, even Xion gave a half-grin.

* * *

That night, Sora went to sleep feeling assured. Even though he was worried about the results of his test. And even though he was upset that his family was broken apart. He felt that these new group of friends that he made supported him. Though it was strange to see his sister talk to him again, he felt thankful. Truly thankful, to know that she didn't hate him. Or at least, if she did, she didn't hate him enough to ignore him forever.

_"Sora... Sora, Sora! Open the door! Sora! Sora!" a familiar voice called out to him. Who was that again? Xion-nee? I need to open the door... I... I... can't move. Why can't I move?_

_Warm... wet... What is this? Red? Blood? Blood? I'm bleeding. I'm bleeding! Xion-nee! Squall-nii! Van-nii! Okaa-chan! Tou-chan!... Roxas... Help me. Help me! I'm scared. It hurts. I can't move._

_"Sora! Sora! You better open this door right now! Sora!" the voice screamed. Someone's banging on the door. A loud crash. Light. Light. Xion-nee? _

_"Sora, honey, oh my god." Okaa-chan..._

_"Call the ambulance! Xion, get the phone!" Tou-chan... I'm sorry. _

_"Sora. Sora. Why did you do this to yourself? Oh my god." I'm sorry._

With a jolt, Sora sat up from his bed and wiped the cold sweat from his brow. He felt a stinging on his wrists. Seeing the forgotten scars, he cringed when he touched them. _That was... That was how I got these? _He asked himself.

* * *

Xion stared at the ceiling of her large bedroom. _Sora... I'm sorry._

_If only I yelled loud enough. If only I was strong enough. If only I could've stopped you..._

Xion felt the tears sting the back of her eyes, again. _No. What's done is done. The only thing I can do now is make sure Sora doesn't get hurt again. _

_Oh no. What if... what if he remembers? Damn it. What if he starts to remember what happened that day? What he did to himself..._

_Shit, this is the reason why I stayed away from him in the first place. But why did I have to go and be involved with him again! Shit. Shit. _She panicked in her head.

_Sora can't ever remember. He just can't. It would be too much for him to bear. If.. If... he and Roxas... Roxas might remind him._

_Oh no. I made a mistake. _

Xion was about to get up and call Namine and tell her that she was out of their plan, but a thought occurred to her_. If I stayed... and pretended to 'help' but actually sabotage things... It might bring them apart instead of get them together._

_Genius. Sora and Roxas can't be together. It's for Sora's own good._

* * *

When Sora woke up the next day, he couldn't remember what he had dreamed about. But he couldn't help but feel that it was something incredibly important. _Oh well, no use trying to remember if I really forgot. Besides, if it really was important then I'd remember... right?_

Sighing, he got up from his bed and dressed casually. Today, he and the others were supposed to go to Namine's house to hang out and discuss phase one. Sora thought of the events that happened the night before. It was like a huge burden had been lifted off of his shoulders. He and Xion were on somewhat speaking terms again, and he had just finished the test that he had been worrying about for two months.

He could rest easy for the time being. And it was getting closer and closer to the end of the quarter. Which meant that it was getting closer and closer to Halloween. Sora couldn't help but smile. Things were going really well for him.

After he finished, he went downstairs and saw that _both _of his sisters were waiting for him. Grinning widely, he waved at them and greeted them.

Xion yawned and tried to smile back, but it was awkward. They walked to Namine's house in silence but despite the heavy atmosphere, Sora felt really happy. When they reached her door, Xion rang the doorbell once and Namine answered with a big smile plastered on her face.

"Hey you guys!" she greeted and welcomed them in. Sora saw that Axel had already been there.

"So, we need to discuss - " Namine was cut off by a phone ringing. Sora's phone.

"Hehe, sorry," Sora felt embarrassed.

"No, it's okay, go ahead and answer it, we'll start talking about the plan," Namine smiled.

"Thanks!" Sora looked at the caller id and saw that it was Riku.

"Hey, Riku!" Sora said into the phone. Xion heard this and rolled her eyes. She really didn't like Sora's choice of friends. _If there is one thing I regret from pushing myself out of Sora's life, it's gotta be the fact that I wasn't there to tell Sora that his friends were douches. _She thought to herself. _Well, I could tell him right now. Who knows, he might actually listen to me now that we're kinda talking to each other again._

"What? Really? A party? When?" Sora asked.

"Halloween?" Sora felt his eyes widen. "So we can dress up?"

"I can invite people too?"

"Awesome!"

"Yeah I'll be there!" Sora laughed "'Kay, thanks, bye Riku!" Sora snapped his phone shut and looked at the others.

"Would you guys want to come to Riku's party on Halloween?" Sora asked.

"What? He plans this early? October barely even started," Axel asked incredulously.

"Yeah, Riku's parties tend to get really big. And he has to plan things out. He told me that I could invite people, so I'm inviting you guys!" Sora grinned.

"But of course Marlene can't come," Sora added as an afterthought.

"Aww, Sora-nii! Why not?" Marlene pouted.

"Marlene, I can't bring you to a party! I'd get in trouble with Okaa-chan!" Sora ruffled her hair.

"Aww..." Marlene wanted to protest but she decided not to.

"It's okay, I'll keep you company Marlene," Xion smiled.

"Nee-chan," Marlene felt touched. It had been a long time since Xion actually said something sister-like to her.

"Y-you're not going Xion-nee?" Sora asked.

"Nah, parties aren't my thing. And besides, I don't like your friends. No offense Sora."

"Xion!" Namine scolded.

"What? You don't like them either!" Xion retorted.

"Yeah, but that's kinda rude," Namine defended.

"Y-you guys don't like my friends?" Sora asked.

"Uh... yeah, sorry bud, but your friends and us... we're kinda in different cliques," Axel offered.

"Well, I knew that, but I thought that you guys don't really judge people. Y'know. I thought that only people in my group of friends didn't like other cliques," Sora said.

"I guess you can say that the feeling's mutual Sora. Not all of us in our group of friends judge, but there's a lot of people in your group that haven't been the best people to us, y'know?" Namine explained.

"Really? I... I'm sorry," Sora apologized.

"Hey, it's not your fault. I didn't say that you were one of those people."

"Yeah, and it's high school Sora. Those kinds of things are expected, especially with how different our crowds are," Axel said.

"It's not like we've been the very best people to them either," Xion said.

"True," Namine laughed. Sora felt awkward. It had just then dawned to him that he'd become the link between the two crowds that were almost total opposites in the school.

"Anyway, I don't think that Riku would appreciate it if he had people from our group in his party."

"Nonsense, Riku's not like that," Sora defended.

"Well... he might be to me," Axel snickered.

"You'll all be fine. Trust me. Can you guys please go? I want to let you guys see that not all the people in our group of friends are superficial and snobby," Sora said.

"If you know that they're superficial, then why do you still hang out with them," Xion all but snapped.

There was silence. Sora was scared to break it. As if the action would bring back the coldness and avoidance. But Xion's face softened.

"S-sorry. It's just... I really don't like the people that you hang out with Sora..."

"Well, if it helps, I don't hang out with them much anymore. At least not like I used to. I like your company. All of you. It's... different," Sora smiled.

Namine smiled at Sora as well and so did Axel. Marlene looked confused, and Xion tried not to laugh at her expression.

"You'll get it once you get there kiddo," she ruffled her hair.

"Still, with that said, I won't go to the party. I'm sorry, but I just can't. Besides, no one will watch Marlene, mom and Squall-nii have work," said Xion.

"Yeah, I'm... still not comfortable with the thought of going there Sora," Axel admitted.

"You'll be fine! Plus it'll be fun! We can dress up and stuff!" Sora exclaimed. Almost instantly, Namine brightened up.

"I just had a stroke of genius." Out of nowhere, she stood up and grabbed Sora's shoulders.

"You will invite Roxas to this party correct?" she asked.

"W-what? Well, I... hadn't really thought about it. I mean, he'd probably say no, right?" Sora sweatdropped at the serious expression in her eyes.

"Sora, we all know that Roxas would never allow himself to go to a Halloween party hosted by someone like Riku. But that's besides the point, he'd probably go anyway because of Selphie," Namine said. Sora frowned slightly when her name was mentioned.

"The point being?" Axel piped up from the background.

"The point being that _this_ is phase one."

"Excuse me?" Sora asked.

"This is going to be phase one," she let go of Sora's shoulders and started pacing, "I'm such a genius. Roxas would never know what hit him."

Then she stopped in her tracks, "I know the perfect way to do this." Namine grinned evilly and looked at Sora.

"I'm... starting to feel very afraid," Sora tugged at his collar.

"You should be," Xion tried not to snigger.

* * *

Sora called Riku to tell him that he had invited a few people to the upcoming party.

_"Oh really who?"_ Riku asked.

"Well, you know Roxas, right?" Sora asked.

_"Yeah. I remember him,"_ said Riku.

"And you know Namine too, right?"

_"Well, I know of her, through you."_

"And well, her boyfriend's coming too," said Sora.

_"Sweet, that's fine by me,"_ Riku sounded indifferent.

"Yeah... but... it's Axel," Sora said slowly.

_"Axel... Axel... Why do I remember that name from somewhere? Oh my god. It's that pyromaniac that played a prank on me!"_ Riku finally said.

"Y-yeah... well, he said that the only way Namine was going is if he went too. And I really want her to come, so please?" Sora pleaded.

_"...God. Fine Sora. You're lucky you're my best friend,_" Riku sighed. Sora could tell that he was pinching the bridge of his nose and shaking his head.

"Thank you!" Sora smiled. "Well, that's it, so see you on Monday!"

_"See you, Sora,"_ Riku hung up.

* * *

The next few weeks were easy enough. There were no quarter finals so they barely did anything productive. The only challenge that Sora had to overcome was to talk to Roxas and find out for sure if he was going to the party or not.

"Hey Roxas," said Sora, finally catching him alone.

"Oh, hi," Roxas didn't want to look Sora in the eyes. He just wanted to be away from all the confusing emotions and just be left alone.

"So, Riku's holding a Halloween party, are you going? With Selphie, of course," Sora quickly added the last part.

"Y-yeah, I'm going... with Selphie," Roxas looked really pained to say that he was going with her. Sora could tell that things with Selphie weren't going too well. Still, it was hurting Sora that he was still dating her.

"O-okay, then. By the way, I took the tests already. You really helped me a lot," Sora tried to make a conversation.

"That's good," Roxas tried to avoid a long exchange of words.

"Thank you," Sora said. There was a short period of awkward silence. Sora ventured to break it and leave, unable to bear it.

"Well, bye!" Sora turned on his heel and took a few steps.

"Wait."

"Yes?" Sora turned around, hopeful.

"N-nevermind. See you around Sora," Roxas swallowed and scratched the back of his neck while looking sideways towards the ground.

Sora sighed. "See you," he said sadly and left.

* * *

The party was only two days away. Sora had been dragged to Namine's house to plan their phase one. Namine had pulled out handpicked costumes and laid them out on her bed.

"Nice costumes Namine. Did you call me here to help you choose?" Sora asked.

"Yes. Yes I did," she turned around and had that same evil glint in her eyes.

"...These... are all girl costumes," Sora looked at each one.

"Yes. Yes they are," she continued to smile.

Realization dawned on him. "Oh no. No. HELL no!" Sora yelled.

"Oh hell yes."


	15. Chapter 14

**Author's Note: **Yes. I'm very much aware that Halloween is still a few weeks away. And Yes, I'm very much aware that I left the last chapter at a cliff hanger and was poorly written(Please forgive me, I was in a rush. I know that's not an excuse, but it is what it is). And yes, I'm very much aware that the last chapter was very short. But, I did say that this chapter would make up for it in length, and content(at least I'm hoping it will)

So, bear with me folks. And Happy **Early **Halloween. Damn this is a really long chapter.

* * *

The door bell rang and Riku answered it with a frown on his face.

"Look people, the party doesn't start until - " he stopped short when he realized that two rather beautiful young women were waiting, along with a tall fiery red head.

One, with chocolate brown hair that curled at the ends, was wearing a pink short nurse outfit with white stockings that stopped a little bit below her mid-thigh, stilettos to complete the look. The other, a blonde, wore a cutesy witch's outfit that still managed to be extremely attractive. The redheaded male in the back, which interested Riku the least, wore a simple black cloak with zippers. He looked like he belonged to some sort of cult.

"Well hello there," an instant personality change. One of the girls looked like she wanted to cry, but the other looked perfectly fine. The red head in the back looked furious.

"Riku," came one of the girl's squeaky voice. It seemed familiar.

"... Do I know you?" Riku tilted his head. She didn't answer, she just looked at the ground and tried not to stare directly in his eyes.

"No... No way," Riku took a closer look and didn't know how to react. How should he react? Should he burst into laughter? Or should he be utterly creeped out? He opted for the lighter and funnier response and Sora blushed.

"Damn, that took like... ten seconds," Namine muttered under her breath.

"I told you this wouldn't work," Sora muttered back.

"No, no, Sora, this is brilliant!" Riku grinned and clutched at his sides.

"People are going to love this!" Riku continued.

"NO!" shouted both Namine and Sora.

"No one's supposed to know. And no one will know," Namine said and tried to look threatening.

"Alright, alright, chill, I was just kidding. Come in," Riku opened the door wider and all of them stepped inside. Sora looked really uncomfortable with his outfit.

"How'd you know it was me?" Sora asked.

"Err... I don't think that's the right question," Riku said.

"Huh?" Sora was confused.

"What I mean is, I think_ I_ should be asking questions first. So, here I go. Why in the _hell_ are you wearing a nurse outfit? With heels!" Riku blurted out. "Don't get me wrong, it's pretty damn funny and all... just, _why?_"

"Uh. Well, there's... there's a perfectly good reason..." Sora trailed off, fidgeting with the edge of his miniskirt. There was a small tension building up with the silence in the room, and Sora's nervous action made it unbearable for Riku.

"Goddamnit, Sora! Why do you look so... _delicious_ right now?" Riku ran a frustrated hand through his hair.

"That just means it's working," Namine smirked.

"I don't know Namine, I still feel really awkward, and Riku knew it was me right away," Sora continued to twiddle his thumbs.

"Sora, you didn't answer my question," Riku persisted. Sora looked at Namine questioningly, the girl shrugged.

"I-I guess there's no harm in telling you. It's just... I hope you don't feel... weird, or grossed out," Sora took a deep breath.

"You're my best friend Riku, and I don't want to lose you as a friend. So, please don't... don't shun me when I tell you this." Riku noticed the sudden change in Sora's tone. He was being serious.

"You have my word, Sora," Riku said.

"I... I'm. I'm in love..." Sora confessed but didn't continue.

"I'm in love with Roxas." Sora said after taking a couple of deep breaths. Riku blinked a couple of times before responding.

"Uhm. Wow. Okay. I... don't really know what to say."

"You don't have to say anything... Just... just please still be my friend."

"Sora, I don't care if you're gay, or if you sprouted a second head. You're my best friend. You're Sora, no matter what you are. Though if you grew a second head I'd be pretty concerned," Riku tried to lighten the mood. Sora smiled and hugged him.

"Okay, you're definitely not going to pull this off if you let your chest touch people. You're flat as flat can be," Riku joked.

"I suggested stuffing a bra, but Sora felt weird," Axel joined in the conversation, seeing that Riku wasn't such a bad guy.

"Well, yeah, but I've never worn a bra before..."

"So, aside from the chest thing, is my work pretty convincing?" Namine asked.

"Very, _very_ well done," Riku grinned.

"Perfect. Oh, I'm Namine by the way, I don't think we've been properly introduced," Namine held her hand out. Riku took it and shook it gladly.

"I'm still not exactly sure who you are, but _you_ are a genius," Riku smiled.

"What?" Namine tilted her head startled by the sudden compliment.

"This is your plan right? To get Roxas, I mean," said Riku. Namine nodded.

"It's brilliant!" At this, Axel grinned, proud of his girlfriend. Namine smiled too and thanked him.

"The party doesn't start until a couple of hours, we can all just chill here. I'll go to the kitchen and get some snacks," Riku left. During the time Riku wasn't in the room, Sora paced and practiced walking in heels so as not to trip, hurt, and/or embarrass himself later on. Though it was proving to be a tad bit difficult. It still amazed him that Namine managed to find heels that were in his size.

_This is so freaking awkward. Why did I agree to this?... Right, it's for Roxas. It's all for Roxas. _With a more determined attitude, Sora sauntered up and down the room until he managed to walk ten feet without tripping. Figuring that was good enough, he sat down beside Namine and massaged his feet. The party hasn't even started and already his feet were killing him.

* * *

When the party started, the lights were dimmed, music blasted out from the speakers and flashing strobe lights were everywhere. Over to a corner, there were chips, dip, soda, and spiked punch. Roxas entered the party with Selphie dangling on his arm. She looked like, and Roxas felt really bad for calling her this in his head, a complete slut. She wore fishnet stockings with black hooker-looking boots, a black miniskirt, with a black almost skin-tight leather vest. She was supposed to be some kind of vampire.

Roxas didn't go all out with his costume like most people seemed to have done. He looked around and felt very well underdressed. Well, in terms of the amount of props he used. He sure didn't feel underdressed compared to the girls that seemed to use Halloween as an excuse to dress like a whore for a day.

He picked at his collar and tried to make himself look decent, Selphie saw this and grinned up at him.

"You look super sexy," she whispered. Roxas couldn't help but smile. Selphie was nice. She just wasn't what Roxas wanted. She's not the right person.

"_You _are fucking hot," he whispered a compliment back because it was polite. Though what he said was far from it. She giggled and dragged him to the dance floor to attempt to cross it to get to her friends. Of course, it was to no avail and both of them had to wait a while for the crowd to dissipate before they could safely cross the room.

Spotting her friends, who also looked like they worked in a corner of a street, she sat next to them and took the punch they offered her. She tried to give Roxas one but he knew better than to drink the punch in these kinds of parties. He actually felt bad that he allowed her to drink it, but there was nothing he could do about it anyway. Plus, she's probably had a lot more alcohol before in her life, what with all the parties these group of people have.

"I'm gonna go and find some guys that I know," Roxas thought up a lame excuse to get out of her clutches and be by himself, probably outside. Selphie was too focused on her friend's latest gossip to care and merely shrugged and gave him a half nod. Roxas sighed and walked away, managing to cross the dance floor without getting purposefully or accidentally groped. He opened the door to that led to Riku's back yard and welcomed the fresh air that rushed through his nostrils.

"It's too stuffy in there," he said to himself. Sighing, he leaned over the railings and examined what little he could see in the dark. There was a pool that was semi-lit, Roxas guessed it was off limits for tonight since he couldn't see anyone there. He looked back into the room and ran a hand through his hair.

"What am I doing?" he asked no one in particular.

_I thought I promised myself that I would never, **ever** get acquainted with these people. These people that looked down on other people. But look at me now. Ugh. This is all Sora's fault._

"Everything is his fault," he muttered under his breath. _But why is it his fault? What did he do that made it **his **fault? _Roxas shook his head and closed his eyes.

"Everything is his fault," he said again.

"Whose fault?" a familiar voice came from behind and scared Roxas almost half to death. Whipping his head back, he saw a gorgeous girl in a nurse's outfit. She looked like a whore too, but she was different somehow. It was bothering Roxas because he didn't know where he saw her before.

Sora watched the confused expression on Roxas's face and thanked the gods it was dark outside so Roxas had no chance of ever finding out it was him.

"Hi," came out Roxas's shaky response, not answering the question Sora asked him.

"Hello," Sora smiled. It was weird, somehow the roles seemed reverse. Instead of Sora feeling so shy when he was with Roxas it was the other way around. He figured that it was because he knew that Roxas didn't know it was him. Still, Sora felt weak in his legs, not just because the stilettos were a pain, but also because Roxas was stunning under the moonlight. He definitely looked more princely tonight. Maybe it was his costume, or maybe it was how the light hit his hair and face, or maybe it was because Sora hadn't seen Roxas in such a long time.

A long silence passed and Sora found himself struggling for words as he walked carefully toward him. But, since nothing ever works out perfectly, Sora managed to trip on his own feet and proceeded to fall flat on his face. But Roxas's reflexes were too quick and caught Sora mid-fall.

"Th-thanks," the confidence the anonymity offered was suddenly blown away and the roles were switched back; Sora felt like a giddy school girl. Not that it was a bad feeling, it was just really embarrassing.

"N-no problem," Roxas looked away and took his hands off of Sora as soon as he was stable. Oh, what's this? It seems like Roxas felt embarrassed too. _Well, duh, he just thinks I'm some random girl... who looks like a stripper. _

"What are you doing out here all by yourself? You're missing the party," Sora asked, and tried to make his voice not sound like himself.

"I could ask you the same thing," Roxas regained some of his composure.

"True. I guess I just wanted fresh air. I was getting tired of the people in there," Sora said truthfully.

"Don't you have any friends in there?" Roxas asked.

"Well, they went off somewhere to make out," Sora said with a frown.

"That's a shame... and it was irresponsible of them," Roxas added the last part as an afterthought.

"Excuse me?"

"They shouldn't leave a pretty girl like you alone in a party like this," Roxas said more to himself than to Sora, and he found himself blushing when he realized that he said that out loud. Sora laughed.

"Well, I guess I could say the same to you."

"What?"

"You're irresponsible for leaving your girlfriend in the party. She might just flirt with another guy," said Sora.

"How'd you know I have a girl friend?" Roxas asked.

"Well, she's really popular you know. It came as a shock really, that she went out with someone like you. But, I guess she has pretty good taste in guys," Sora was being honest and at the same time pretending to be someone other than himself.

"I guess so..." Roxas trailed off. "But I don't really like her like that."

"Huh?" Sora asked.

"I don't really think of her as my girlfriend. I mean... I think... nevermind. I shouldn't even be telling you this, we just met," Roxas laughed sadly.

"Well, if it helps, I have my own problems too," Sora said. "I think, that if you don't see her as your girlfriend, and you don't like her like that, you should just break up with her. Make it easier on her, you know?"

"The thing is, I don't think she sees me as her boyfriend either. I mean, sure, we do what other couples do, but there's no... spark. I know it sounds melodramatic, but... She's not the one," Roxas shook his head.

"Then shouldn't that be more of a reason to break up with her?"

"Yes. But it's not that easy. See, if I break up with her... Then I'll be confused."

"Confused?" Sora asked.

"Yes. Confused."

"Confused about what?"

"I don't know, myself. Everything," Roxas said, frustrated.

"So... you're just using her to avoid confronting your own problems," Sora said slowly. For a while, Roxas didn't answer. He looked up at the moon and closed his eyes when a breeze passed by.

"Yes." he said quietly.

"Roxas, I don't think that's right." was Sora's last sentence. He was starting to feel angry with Roxas, he wanted to get away before he actually did get angry with him.

"I know it's not right," Roxas sighed. Sora placed a hand on his shoulder and left him. Roxas contemplated and looked up at the sky. He found comfort in the twinkling lights. _How did she know my name? I don't remember telling her..._

* * *

Roxas came back to the room hoping that there would be less people, but to his misfortune, the crowding was still unbearable. Roxas thought that it may have even gotten worse.

"Hey there baby," Roxas heard a deep voice right beside him. Turning his head to see the source, he saw the girl he met outside cornered by a big guy. She looked rather uncomfortable with his arm placed against the wall over her head. Roxas's fists clenched. For some reason, he didn't like this guy talking to her. _I'm... jealous? But we barely just met!... Whatever, I need to do something about this. Clearly she doesn't like being cornered by that guy._

"Excuse me," Roxas tapped his shoulder. The guy turned and looked irritated when he saw Roxas's face.

"Yes? How may we help you?" He asked and tried to place his arm around her shoulder. Roxas's eyes narrowed, grabbed her wrist and pulled her to him before the guy's arm got to make contact with her.

"I'm borrowing her for now," Roxas turned and pulled her with him across the room to a safe and quieter place where they can be away from that crowd.

"Thank you," she said when they got to another room.

"No problem."

"That's the second time tonight," She said.

"Huh?"

"That's the second time you saved me tonight. The first one when I tripped," she smiled.

"Oh, w-well... It's not that big of a deal," Roxas scratched the back of his neck. He felt nervous. All too nervous. He'd never really felt this before. _Maybe that one time with Sora in the kitchen... _His brain managed to think before Roxas erased the thought and tried to get the image of them almost kissing out of his head.

Roxas was turned away during that short episode so when he looked at her again, she was surprisingly close. Roxas gulped.

Her hands were on his neck now, and her face inched slowly towards his, her eyes closed. Roxas allowed his own eyes to close and their lips met. All of a sudden, the image in the back of his eyes was erased. But then it was replaced by a new one. One where instead of _almost _kissing, he and Sora were_ actually_ kissing. His eyes flew open and pushed her away on instinct.

She tripped on her heels and fell back. Roxas tried to catch her again but when he grabbed her hand, his momentum was off and they both ended up on the floor with Roxas on top of her. Roxas winced because he landed on his elbows to keep as much of his weight off of her. When he opened his eyes, he saw a pile of brown curlyish fake hair laying on the floor next to the girl.

His eyes widened as he saw who the girl was.

"S-sora?" Roxas stuttered and backed away.

"Roxas! I can explain!" Sora sat up quickly.

"Explain? Explain what? You kissed me!" Roxas was furious. But for some reason, he felt that he wasn't mad about the kiss.

"I'm sorry! Please, let me explain!" Sora pleaded.

"I-I gotta go," Roxas stood up and tried to leave, but Sora caught the edge of his pants.

"Please, wait. Let me explain myself." Roxas tried to ignore him and continued to walk toward the door, which was closed all of a sudden. He tried to turn the knob but it was locked, from the outside. Roxas sighed and turned around.

"We're locked in."

"What?"

"We're locked in. We can't get out. I guess I'm gonna _have _to listen to you explaining yourself..." Roxas pinched the bridge of his nose and walked back towards Sora. But he kept his distance when he sat down next to him on the floor.

"So, go ahead. Explain to me."

"Uh. Ah. Well," Sora stammered. "I!... there's no easy way to say this..."

"I love you!" Sora blurted out. Roxas blinked.

"Romantically," Sora clarified. Slowly, Roxas nodded and tried to think of how to respond. His heart was telling him to just kiss him. But another part of him was saying that it was wrong. _It was all wrong_.

"And I.. I couldn't help myself. I wasn't gonna tell you it was me. When I was... leaning in to kiss you my plan was to just kiss you and then leave and never tell you that it was me."

"I didn't plan on tripping or you pushing me away..." Roxas couldn't think of anything to say. He couldn't make up his mind.

"I'm sorry," said Sora. "I'm really sorry. It was wrong of me. And... I feel really guilty." Roxas shook his head and didn't say anything. It was like that for a whole hour before Riku finally opened the door. Roxas left as quickly as he can and Sora sat on the ground mentally smacking himself. _Stupid! STUPID! _ Sora thought. From out of the window, a flash came and went unnoticed by Sora.

* * *

When Roxas got out, the party was almost over. The only ones left were the ones that were completely wasted, and Riku's closer circle of friends. Roxas looked for Selphie and offered to take her home because she was trying to strip in front of everyone. She's obviously had too much to drink. Sora had stayed behind to change into Riku's clothes so that he won't look like a weirdo walking around in a girl's nurse's outfit.

Kairi watched the couple leave with a smirk on her face. Selphie's drunken stupor would definitely be horny and probably try to entice Roxas to do some things. Which would work perfectly for her plan. But of course, she couldn't be too hopeful. She was just happy that Roxas left with Selphie.

"I wonder why Sora didn't show..." Kairi said out loud when Riku came back to the dance floor.

"Oh. Yeah, he said he had something to do," said Riku. Sora came out of the room looking like a normal guy again.

"Sora! Where've you been all night? Why weren't you here for the party?" Kairi ran up to him and hugged him.

"Oh, hey there Kairi. I've been... around," Sora said sadly. Kairi noticed his tone.

"What's wrong?" she asked, genuinely concerned.

"...Nothing," said Sora.

"Sora - "

"Just leave it Kairi, please," he stopped her.

"Okay..." Kairi was defeated. She couldn't get him to talk, no one could. Sora's back in his introverted shell again. At least, that's what Kairi thought. The small crowd grew even smaller, until finally, it was only Riku, Namine, Axel and Sora left.

"So, how did it go?" Namine asked, looking flushed from whatever she and Axel did the whole night. Axel just looked dazed and out of his mind. Riku rolled his eyes at them.

"Not good," Sora sighed and plopped down on Riku's couch with his face in his hands.

"What? What went wrong?" Namine asked.

"I... lost control and kissed him... Then we tripped and the wig fell off. And Roxas... well... Riku locked us in the room," Sora glared at him, and Riku shrugged. "Then I told Roxas everything, and... well, he didn't say anything back, so it was quiet the whole time."

"Sora, it's alright -"

"No. It's not. He probably hates me now and he's probably scared of me too!" Sora said, frustrated.

"Well, what did he say?"

"I told you, nothing!"

"What did he do when he left? Did he... I don't know, do something strange?" Riku asked.

"He looked like he really wanted to get out of there," Sora groaned and put a pillow over his face.

"... It's... going to be alright, Sora," Namine patted his shoulder.

"Yeah, I'll... I'll try and talk to Roxas," was Axel's contribution.

"Me too," said Namine.

"I'll help too," Riku said and Sora took the pillow off of his face to look at him.

"...Thanks, but at this point, everything seems pointless," Sora felt completely defeated.

"No. It's not over yet Sora. I saw him when he left. He looked angry, and confused."

"Well, that's comforting," said Sora sarcastically.

"It is! See, if he's confused, that means he's thinking. Of you! And that's a good thing. You still have a chance Sora. But your next moves have to be well thought out."

The edge of Sora's lips twitched up a bit. "Thanks Riku."

"We'll make him fall for you."

"Yeah, we promise you Sora," Namine smiled. Axel nodded behind her and it gave Sora new hope. He's got them to back him up. He's not alone in this fight.

* * *

Sora had spent the night at Riku's, along with Namine and Axel because it had been too late for them to go home. At a random time, while Namine was already fast asleep, the guys had guy talk. _It's kinda weird... calling it guy talk. But I guess that's what it is... _Sora said in his head.

"Look, so I _do _use women, but I properly date them one at a time. I've never cheated on anyone I've been with, but I've never been in a relationship that had anything to do with more than pure unadulterated sex," Riku admitted. Axel had just asked Riku about his thoughts on how people perceive him as a notorious womanizer. And now, Axel knew that those rumors were true.

"Fair enough," said Axel.

"What about you?" Riku shot back, "You may not be one of the quote-unquote popular kids but people still _do_ talk about you. There have been rumors about you and... you know, your... _affinity_ with fire."

"That rumor only started because one day in middle school I accidentally set a bush on fire in the quad with my lighter," Axel said defensively.

"Why'd you have a lighter?" asked Sora.

"Why a bush?" asked Riku.

"I had a lighter because, no I don't smoke, but because of a project that needed fire, I brought a lighter because it's easier to use than matches. And I accidentally set the bush on fire because I was trying to see if this ant would catch fire... and I didn't think that the leaf would."

Both Riku and Sora burst in laughter.

"What? I was in the seventh grade! I was only thirteen for crying out loud! I was curious!"

"And stupid," Sora said in between laughs.

"Yeah." Axel chuckled, "that too." A moment of silence passed between them after their laughs died down. Axel ventured to break it, and asked a question he'd been wanting to ask.

"I was just wondering. And this may seem... a bit strange. And I'm sorry if it offends any of you, but I just really want to know," Axel began. This perked both of their interests and prompted the two of them to sit up and properly listen.

"I.. haven't talked to Roxas in a while, so if, no,_ when_ you two get together, I just want to know, or get an idea of, how to act. I mean, deal with the fact that my best guy friend is... well, gay," Axel said seriously. "And again, I'm sorry if this offends you in any way."

"No, it's fine. It's a valid question. I mean, I want to know too. Riku, how _do_ you... feel about this situation?" Sora turned to his best friend.

"Well... I'm not really surprised by it."

"What?" Sora asked.

"No, what I mean is, I'm not surprised by it, but at the same time I didn't quite expect it. It's like... you know, I don't really care. No matter what your sexual preference is, you're still Sora. You're still an awesome person. You're still an amazing blitzball player. And you're still my best friend. I guess it just depends on the person," said Riku.

"Aww, thanks Riku," Sora hugged him.

"See, this is why I wasn't surprised. No straight guy would hug his best friend," Riku joked. Sora rolled his eyes and punched Riku's shoulder.

"Ow! Now that's something a straight guy would do," then he began to rub his shoulder, "Damn Sora, that actually hurt."

"Oops. Sorry," Sora laughed. And Axel stared at them with a smile on his face.

"I think I can accept Roxas for who he is. Namine says that she knows he's in love with you. And if he is, then I don't care. I don't care who he's with as long as that person doesn't hurt him. And as long as that person loves him just as much as he loves that person," Axel thought out loud.

"I just wish that Roxas would see for himself. I mean, if everything's true, then he's just lying to himself. And that's not healthy," Axel sighed.

"I understand what you mean, and I'm not exactly close to Roxas, but if Sora really likes him then I have no choice but to help Sora help Roxas to realize his true feelings," said Riku.

"Enough with this mushy crap! Riku, go get your Xbox, let's go play Black Ops," Sora smiled. Riku laughed and stood up.

"Sure, I'll be right back."

"I'm so gonna kick your ass at that game," Axel muttered.

"Oh hell no. Just for that, you're going down!" Sora grinned.

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah!"

* * *

Coming back from a late night escapade, Xion took off her black cap and took the camera off of her neck. Xion stared at the picture on the tiny digital screen. Sora was on the floor, facing toward the ground in the nurse outfit. Grabbing her USB chord, she blew the picture up on her computer so that people who see it can actually _tell _that it is Sora. _I'm sorry, this is going to hurt you Sora, but it has to be done. You and Roxas **can't **be together._

She pressed the print button and closed her eyes in shame. _When Roxas sees this he's going to avoid Sora like the plague. Unless he wants this other picture to be posted too. _She looked at the other picture that she took. One with Sora, still with his wig intact, kissing Roxas.

_I'm really sorry._

* * *

School started that following Monday. Kairi walked down the halls, wondering why a crowd was forming around the bulletin board.

She squeezed her body through the gaps and managed to get to the front. What was posted on the board shocked her, but it infuriated her more.

"What the hell?" She yelled, and everyone who had been murmuring under their breaths flinched and looked at her. She was seething.

"Sora!" she called when she spotted him. Ripping the poster from the board, she walked up to him and held it to his face.

"Explain."

"What? What did I..." Sora trailed off and his eyes widened as he snatched the poster from her hands.

"What the hell?"

"What's wrong?" Riku asked from behind. Then he saw the picture and his eyes narrowed.

"Who the fuck did this?" He was enraged.

"This.. this is photoshopped right? This isn't real right?" Kairi asked, hopeful. Sora swallowed and closed his eyes, trying to calm himself.

"But the door was closed!" Sora half whispered half yelled. Kairi took a deep breath.

"It's real?"

"It was taken from the outside, you can see from the angle," Riku said.

"But how..."

"It's real!" Kairi all but freaked. She bit her lip.

"You knew about this Riku?" Kairi asked. Slowly, he nodded.

"You knew that Sora was... _crossdressing_?" again, Riku nodded.

"You.. you... You're both freaks!" Kairi shrieked and walked away. The crowd that gathered around them dispersed and went on to spread rumors. Rumors circulated and spread like wildfire.

Eventually, it caught on to Namine and Axel, and they both explained to Xion what happened over the weekend. Then they showed her the poster. She pretended to be angry. She acted like she would kill whoever did it to her brother. And if the situations were different, she probably would have had the same reaction. The only difference was that it would have been real.

"We have to make sure Roxas doesn't see this," said Xion, right when Roxas walked up toward them.

"See what?" Roxas raised a brow.

"N-nothing," Namine hid the poster behind her back. Cursing the gods for allowing her to take the poster in the first place. Roxas's eyes narrowed and grabbed it from her back. Then his eyes widened.

"This... this... Shit!" Roxas cursed.

"This person, whoever took it... they couldn't have seen everything... could they?" Roxas asked no on in particular. Xion's plan was working. Axel and Namine looked at each other.

"Uh..." but before they could say anything more articulate than that, Roxas spun on his heel and left, crumpling the poster in his hand.

* * *

Roxas looked for Sora and found him with his friends. He walked up to them and asked to talk to Sora alone.

"You have to find out who did this," Roxas said when they got to somewhere private.

"What?" Sora asked softly.

"This person, whoever it is, they're stupid for doing this to you. And what's worse is this might not be the only picture -" Roxas stopped himself. Sora initially felt his heart skip a beat when he thought that Roxas was angry _for _him. But then he realized the_ real_ reason for Roxas's anger.

"You're just worried that the kiss -"

"Don't say it." Roxas hissed.

"What is_ wrong_ with you?" Sora yelled.

"_Me_? What's wrong with me? I'm not the one who kisses other guys because they couldn't help themselves!"

Sora felt hurt by the comment and tears formed in his eyes. Roxas's face softened when he realized how incredibly_ douchy_ that was.

"I'm sorry-"

"No. It's alright. I understand. You don't like me that way. I get it," Sora felt tears dribble down the corners of his eyes.

"I'll just leave," Sora turned around.

"N-no, wait, Sora," Roxas called out and tried to catch his hand.

"Sayounara, Roxas, I won't bother you anymore."

"No. Wait!" But Sora continued to walk away. _Holy shit, what just happened? _Roxas asked himself.

* * *

"Selphie, I'm not going to hang out with Riku and Sora anymore," said Kairi.

"Why?" Selphie asked.

"Didn't you listen at all to the rumors?"

"Kairi, if I actually believed those rumors, then I'd be thinking that you really did have boob guns strapped on your bra," Selphie recounted one of the craziest rumor she heard today.

"No! I'm talking about... nevermind, you know what I'm talking about."

"... Kairi, have you actually talked to Sora?" she asked.

"Yes! That's how the rumors started today!" Kairi yelled.

"No, I mean, have you found out how he felt? Not just about this, but about you. And what you're doing."

"I'm not doing anything," Kairi said defensively.

"Yes you are. You changed Kairi. You're acting all... bitchy and slutty just to get him. And I'm stupid for even listening to you in the first place. I shouldn't have agreed to go out with Roxas to help you on your plan. I should've stopped you."

"Why? Because Sora's gay and he'll never love me unless I somehow grow a p-"

"Don't even say that Kairi! You know that Sora's not like that. You're one of Sora's best friends. Or at least, you were," said Selphie. Kairi closed her mouth.

"I think Sora genuinely likes Roxas."

"What? Why?" Kairi asked, aggravated.

"That's the reason why he went to the party dressed like that, right?"

"How the hell am I supposed to know?" Kairi yelled.

"Well, I just think so... because I saw them. They were talking outside. I didn't know it was Sora at first, because... well, he was in a girl's outfit, but I _can _put two and two together."

Kairi didn't say anything to this. For a while, she was quiet. Until finally she spoke again.

"I'm not going to hang around with them anymore. I'm giving up on Sora. But I'm not going to stay friends with them anymore. They're freaks and I can't hang out with them." Kairi said.

"Kairi. That's mean. You're Sora's best friend, you should accept him for who he is!" Selphie yelled.

"He _was_ my best friend. Not anymore." Kairi shook her head. "Are you gonna join me?"

"..." Selphie saw it coming. She just_ knew_ that Kairi would make her choose.

"No. I'm not. You're being unreasonable and you're not acting like yourself," Selphie said. "And you shouldn't do this!"

"You can't tell me what to do!"

"You're right, I can't. Then I guess I have no choice but to just let you do what you want. But I'm not going to join you. I'm not going to abandon my friends just because of Sora's sexuality. I'm not going to abandon him, especially with what just happened," Selphie was set on her resolve. And apparently, so was Kairi.

"Fine. Then this would be the last time I'm going to talk to you. Sayounara." Selphie bit her lip as she watched her long time bff walk away from her. Away from their friendship. She tried not to shed a tear, but it's difficult not to cry if you just lost someone you practically considered a sister.

* * *

Axel, Namine, Riku, and Xion were comforting Sora as he cried his heart out to them.

"I don't even know why I like that jerk so much!" yelled Sora.

"He's an idiot! And I'm even more of an idiot for falling for him in the first place. And I don't know why the fuck I'm crying so much!" Sora wiped his face and Xion cringed. She knew that this was her fault. That she caused this somehow.

"Why, why does it hurt so much?" Sora asked them. But they couldn't answer. All they could do was hug him, rub his back, and let him cry on their shoulder.

"Uh... I'm sorry if I'm interrupting," Selphie said awkwardly. All heads turned to her and all of them glared.

"You, you shouldn't be here," Namine said.

"You should just leave Selphie," came from Riku.

"Sora really doesn't need _you, _of all people, to be here," was Axel's comment.

"Go away," said Xion. Sora couldn't look at her in the eye without wanting to sob even more.

"I came here to... apologize." Selphie said truthfully.

"You have nothing to apologize for," Sora's voice quivered.

"Actually... there is. Kairi... she wanted me to ask Roxas out. Honestly, I didn't think it would work, but he said yes," Selphie started.

"I don't really want to hear this right now," Sora said.

"I know. But I need to explain. Everything. You see, Kairi she... I don't know, she snapped. She told me that she would never hang out with you, or with Riku, or with Tidus anymore. And she asked me if I wanted to join her. And I told her no. I said I can't do that. To you.

"She's been acting weird lately. Really bossy, bitchy, slutty, and totally not like herself. She had a plan to get with you, Sora. Since she overheard that you liked Roxas. And it started with me going out with Roxas to get him and you away from each other.

"And it worked at first. I felt that Roxas started to like me. And I started to like him a bit too. But we never really got passed the point of being friends. Sure... we'd go on dates and... kiss and stuff, but I didn't feel passion. I didn't feel the love that I was supposed to feel. And I'm pretty sure he didn't either.

"I didn't realize it until I saw the picture, but it was you who was talking with Roxas that night outside in Riku's backyard, right?" she asked. Sora nodded, remembering the night as if it were a really long time ago.

"I couldn't hear anything you said, but I saw how he acted. He was flirting but he was being subtle and shy about it. I hung around him for a few weeks and I observed how he was like, and with me, he was never like that. It just proved to me even more that Roxas didn't like me.

"Now I know this might sound too much like I'm assuming things, but based on my observation, it's that way; Roxas doesn't like me. And... I don't really like him like that either. Yeah, he's good looking, yeah he's an awesome kisser - s-sorry." she paused and bit her lip, then continued, "What I'm trying to say is, I'm breaking up with Roxas. And I want to help you get with him."

Sora and the others looked at her, wide-eyed and open-mouthed. They never pictured Selphie to be the observant kind of person. But she was. She was on point too.

"This morning, when I saw the poster, I realized that you must really like Roxas. For you to go to the point of crossdressing just to get to him. And I thought that it was very sweet of you, albeit unnatural and a little bit creepy, but, regardless, I admire you for the lengths you'd go for the person you love. I didn't believe that you _really _ liked Roxas, and I thought that Kairi was just hearing things.

"But I was wrong, and now that I know... some of the truth, I'm willing to help." Selphie was finished. And the others still looked the same. Except for Namine who stood up and held her hand out with a smile on her face.

"My name is Namine, and you're Selphie, right?" she asked. Selphie shook her hand and smiled at her.

"Yes, I know your name," said Selphie.

"Awesome! Welcome to operation: get Roxas and Sora together.


	16. Chapter 15

**Author's Note: **hey there... :) So... here's another short one. the next one won't be for a while... i think... idk anymore i'm really tired. Good night!

* * *

"Guys, I really appreciate everything. But... I don't want your help anymore," Sora looked up at their shocked faces. Each of their smiles dropping one by one.

"But, I just said -" Selphie tried.

"Yes, I know what you said. And I'm thankful for it. Really," Sora interrupted but smiled at her. Selphie bit her lip.

"Sora, you can't do this," But it was Namine who said something.

"Why not? I'm just telling you guys that you don't have to get me and Roxas together anymore. I'm giving up. There's nothing I can do," Sora sighed.

"But Sora -" Selphie tried again.

"Enough. I don't want to hear it. You all keep saying that you _know _that Roxas likes me too. That you _see _it in how he acts. But I don't see _anything! _There's no proof that he likes me too, so this is pointless. I'm just gonna give up."

With that, Sora left, and a heavy atmosphere stayed with the group.

Namine clenched her fists and hit a nearby wall. Axel cringed and placed his arms around her.

"Goddammit Sora!" Namine yelled.

"This is not over yet," she said. Axel rubbed her back to calm her down.

"No, this is far from over," Riku said.

"I... I'm sorry," Selphie felt as though it was her fault.

"Why are you apologizing?" Axel asked.

"It's not your fault. Don't worry about it. Just help us get it into both of their thick heads that they're meant for each other," Namine pulled away from Axel and had a renewed determination. Xion stayed quiet the whole time, trying to hide her joy. _That's right Sora, give up on him_ she thought to herself.

* * *

"Roxas, hey Roxas, wait up!" Riku called. Roxas raised a brow when he saw the silverette run up to him.

"Hey, Riku," said Roxas, "Nice party by the way..."

"Yeah, sure. Anyway, listen," Riku looked around and made sure no one was listening.

"Yes?"

"About Sora -"

"Let me stop you right there. I... hurt him. Bad. And I don't know what to do about it. But... I don't want to talk about it okay? Let me figure things out on my own."

"Roxas..." Riku sighed. Searching his eyes for truthfulness, Riku gave up.

"Okay. Just... think okay? Think about it carefully. If you hurt Sora even more, I'm really not going to stop myself from hurting you too," Riku clapped his hand on Roxas's shoulder.

"I know..." Roxas said to himself when Riku left. _God... How the hell did I get into this mess? _Roxas thought back to when he first got called into the Principal's office.

"It's... all because I met Sora that my life right now is more complicated than I'd like it to be," Roxas sighed. His phone rang; he got a text from Selphie.

_Hey, let's meet at the usual place tonight, at the usual time, okay? I have something to talk to you about._

Roxas wondered what it was, but then he shrugged and looked at the time. He had to go, it was almost six.

When he got there, he waited for Selphie patiently in the cafe. She got there faster than she normally did, and by the look on her face, Roxas could tell something was up.

"Hey," She smiled.

"Hi," Roxas said quietly.

"I... I'm not sure how exactly to say this... but I'm breaking up with you Roxas."

"..." Roxas stared at his hands for what seemed like an eternity. Eventually he looked up and gave Selphie a small smile.

"Are you okay?" She asked.

"... I don't know. I'm not hurt or sad or anything... but I'm not exactly happy either."

"That just means that you didn't really like me like that," Selphie reached over the table and placed her hand on Roxas's interlinked fingers.

"Does it?" Roxas asked more to himself than Selphie. His smile dropped and his gaze lingered away from her.

"... Anyway, I'm not going to apologize. Because I feel like I don't have to. However, I do owe you an explanation," Selphie began. Roxas didn't answer.

"Our relationship... I don't think we had one, really. I mean, yes, we did couple stuff and such, but I bet you know as much as I do that there was no feeling between us. We never really became more than just friends _emotionally_," Selphie said.

Slowly, Roxas nodded.

"But I think that you did find yourself becoming more than just friends with someone else. And I think that you're denying that fact. And I'm not sure why. Anyway, I think breaking up with you is the right thing to do."

"I..."

"You don't have to say anything Roxas," Selphie patted his hands and got up.

"I'll see you around," Selphie gave him a half smile and Roxas only nodded.

"Yeah. See you."

* * *

Sighing for the enth time that day, Roxas collapsed on his bed and stared at the dark ceiling.

"How many times have I found myself laying here, thinking about the same... person, these past few months?" Roxas asked himself and tried to count. Deciding that it was too much to even comprehend, Roxas sighed... _again_.

"Goddamn. Why is this happening?" _If I had a dime for every time I've asked that..._ Roxas laughed bitterly in his head.

"Maybe.. Maybe I should... stop talking to myself," Roxas tried to joke to lighten the atmosphere. _In a more serious note... Maybe I should try thinking about this in a different way..._

"What is... love?" he asked.

He closed his eyes and tried to picture what he thought love was. He saw a couple kissing, a family, flowers, roses, the color pink. Various images associated with Valentine's day ran through his mind... eventually though, it stopped on someone's face. Sora's face.

Roxas's eyes flew open.

"Love is... Sora?" he asked himself. _To you, love is Sora. Sora, the childhood friend that doesn't remember. Sora, the one you hated for most of your life. Sora, the one who you're thinking about **all** the time. Goddammit Roxas, can't you see? _Subconsciously, he thought to himself in the third person to make a greater impact.

"I love Sora." _I'm such an idiot._

* * *

Restless, Roxas snuck out at twelve a.m., took his car and drove to Sora's house. Parking at a spot where he can't be seen, Roxas slipped into Sora's backyard and aimed a rock for what he hoped was Sora's window.

Eventually, the window opened and Sora's head popped out.

"Sora!" Roxas yelled loud enough for only Sora to hear.

"Roxas? What the fuck?" Sora's voice was too loud, he clamped his hand over his mouth.

"What are you doing here?" Sora whispered.

"Come down here," Roxas whispered back.

"Are you _insane_?" Sora almost yelled.

"I... I have something to talk to you about."

"At twelve in the morning?" Sora was incredulous.

"I... I'm sorry!"

"Shh. Don't yell so loud. Alright, I'm coming." Sora disappeared from the window and within a few minutes, appeared in front of Roxas with a confused look on his face.

"I don't even know if I want to talk to you right now," Sora sighed.

"I know. I'm sorry. I'm really sorry," Roxas shook his head.

"Roxas, you hurt me. Why are you here?" Sora ran a hand through his hair.

"I came to apologize..."

"Do you know how much... how much I had to work up the courage just to tell you my true feelings? Do you know how much your words hurt me?" Sora tried not to get overly emotional but he was at his breaking point. Too much was happening too fast.

"I'm sorry," he repeated.

"Sorry? Sorry? _Sorry _doesn't cut it!" Sora yelled, not restraining himself from being loud anymore. Roxas wrapped his arms around Sora to calm him down.

"Shh... Listen to me," Roxas tried to shush him. But the angry look on Sora's face made him gulp.

"Listen? Listen, he says!" Sora was almost hysterical. Roxas placed his hand over Sora's mouth.

"Just, listen okay?" Roxas was getting frustrated. Sora glared daggers.

"I'm really sorry. No, I don't know how much I hurt you. But there's a reason why I couldn't just... why I couldn't just accept the fact that... I have feelings for you!" Sora stopped struggling and stiffened in Roxas's embrace. Roxas's grip slackened and he let go.

"You... you have feelings... for me?"

"Yes. And I'm stupid for not realizing it sooner..."

"You... expect me, to just forget how much you hurt me, and to just -"

"No. I don't expect you to stop being mad at me. I deserve it. I was stupid, foolish, blind. And I hurt you terribly. I just... I hope that I realized my feelings in time." Roxas looked at the ground. Sora felt flustered, aggravated, elated, and absolutely ecstatic at the same time.

"I... I don't know Roxas," Sora shook his head. Roxas sighed.

"I figured as much. I'm sorry, again, Sora. Sorry for coming this late and waking you up. I'm gonna leave now," Roxas turned. Sora wrestled with himself in his head. _Should I call out to him? No! I... I... Oh screw it._

"I!" Sora yelled. Roxas stopped and looked back.

"I wasn't asleep..." Sora stated dumbly.

"Huh?"

"You.. don't have to apologize for waking me up."

"Oh."

"But... aside from that... I don't know if I can accept your apology."

Roxas felt dejected.

"But, I do know that... yes, you did realize your feelings in time." Sora swallowed.

"What -" Roxas was cut off by Sora's lips. Eyes wide with shock, it took a while for Roxas to register that Sora was kissing him. When he did, his eyes slipped closed and his arms wrapped around Sora's waist, pulling him closer.

The kiss that had been waiting for a long time finally occurred. The real kiss. Their first _real _kiss. They broke off and stared at each other with flushed faces.

"I... I don't know if this is the right thing to do," Sora hesitated.

"I don't know either.. But if I'm going to find out, I'm gonna find out with you," Roxas pulled him back in for another kiss.

* * *

At school the next day.

"Okay, so I'll go to Roxas's house, chain, gag, and drag him to the spot, and you go with Riku to Sora's house, chain, gag, and drag him to the spot, got it?" Namine looked at Selphie in all seriousness.

"Aye Aye sir!" Selphie saluted. Riku and Axel both smacked their palms to their foreheads in the background.

"Look at what Sora did. He made Namine go crazy," Axel commented.

"It wasn't just Sora's fault, Roxas played a huge part in this too. If Roxas had just admitted it to himself in the first place, these two girls right here wouldn't be completely insane!" Riku used his arms for emphasis.

"True..." Axel sighed.

A little ways away from the crowd of people, Riku spotted a couple holding hands. Squinting, he tried to make out the familiar silhouettes.

"Holy shit! Look!" Riku grinned.

"Huh? What? That's just Xion... and.. OMG!" Selphie squealed.

"What? What? I don't see it!" Namine yelled.

"Here, put your glasses on," Axel, the ever reliable boyfriend, handed his girlfriend her glasses case(which he had in his pocket for some odd reason*cough*experimenting with fire*cough*).

"Thanks..." she put them on, then she gasped, "OMG!"

Smiling and bouncing, she hugged Axel, Riku and Selphie.

"Hey guys," Xion said first with what really was a forced smile, but seemed to the others like a regular Xion-smirk.

"Look at what happened last night when we were all asleep," Xion moved off to the side to show them more clearly what they had seen from far away. Roxas looked away from the group with a light blush on his face, and Sora fidgeted with his feet. Their hands were laced together in between them tightly. Roxas tried, and failed, to look nonchalant. Sora just felt incredibly embarrassed by their smiles, and stares.

"Uhm. Sora told me everything," Roxas said.

"I'm... not really sure what to say. But thanks... I guess," Roxas finally got the guts to look at them. But as soon as he made eye contact, his face erupted into a deep blush. Sora noticed his embarrassment and memorized the cute expression to file it away in his easy-access memories.

"You don't really have to thank them, Roxas. In the end, they really didn't help much," Sora said as an after thought.

"That's not true!" Namine playfully hit Sora's shoulder.

"Yeah, we did plenty in the beginning!" Riku said.

"But we didn't really help," Axel commented.

"True, but whatever, we still did something. If it hadn't happened, you two wouldn't be together yet!" Namine defended.

"Aww... but I didn't really get to help!" Selphie mock-whined.

"And our new plan was amazing too!"

"Yeah, if you call breaking a few limbs, not to mention a few laws, amazing," Riku rolled his eyes.

"You should thank god that you got together with Roxas before these two got their plan in action," Axel laughed.

"I'm not even going to ask," Xion played along.

"I'm really happy for you guys, we all are," Namine said.

"Thank you," said Sora.

"I'm happy for us too," Roxas muttered.

"But, can I ask you guys a favor?" Sora said and everyone looked at him.

"I.. we, me and Roxas, talked about this already. And we both decided that, for now, we're going to keep this relationship a secret, okay?" Sora stated. Everyone looked at him, then at Roxas, and back at him.

"But..." Namine tried to ask why, but Axel stopped her.

"We... have our reasons," Roxas spoke.

"I guess it doesn't matter why. Just as long as you both agreed on this, and that you both, eventually, are going to let the secret out," Riku said.

"Thanks for understanding," Roxas smiled at them. The others felt uneasy. Secret relationships were usually difficult, they were worried that it might not last. And that both Roxas and Sora would end up hurt.

Hoping that it won't turn out that way, they offered them full support with whatever they planned. Well, that is, all except one. Xion, though she knew how happy her brother was when he got together with Roxas, having been the first one to know about it, still felt that they shouldn't be together.

_And I might just end up using this secret to break them up. Before Sora finds out the truth. And before any of them get hurt._


	17. Chapter 16

**Author's Note**: Hey. I'm tired. and sleepy and... yeah... here. Happy Late Thanksgiving everyone. Hope you enjoyed the turkey :)

* * *

It all felt surreal. Sora couldn't believe it, but he knew it was true. He and Roxas were... together. It felt like a dream. Roxas's hand fit like a puzzle piece in his own and their fingers laced in a tight embrace. Sora looked up at his blond-haired blue-eyed prince and smiled. Roxas felt his gaze and looked into Sora's deep blue eyes. He placed a chaste kiss on his forehead and grinned.

"What are you staring at me for?" Roxas playfully poked Sora's cheek.

"You're beautiful," Sora blurted out.

"Thanks, but I prefer the word 'handsome.'" Roxas sweatdropped.

"I-I mean," Sora blushed a deep deep red and muttered to himself, "You're not just handsome... you're gorgeous."

Roxas stopped walking and Sora stopped as well. Confused, Sora turned to Roxas and his lips were met in a passionate kiss. They were in public. Kissing in public. It registered in Sora's head, but it was too late to stop now. _Oh well, no use thinking about it..._ Sora lost himself into their own little world. Ignoring the stares and the murmurs. When Roxas pulled away, he touched their foreheads together and his lips spread wide.

"You're absolutely adorable. I love you."

"I love you too,"

"I'm sorry I took so long to realize it," Roxas closed his eyes. Lightly hitting his cheek, Sora laughed.

"Hey, I told you not to apologize for that anymore,"

"But - "

"Roxas..." Sora tried to sound threatening.

"Alright," he agreed, then pecked Sora's lips before walking again.

The park was magical in the fall. All the wonderful colors. Fall was Roxas's favorite season. Not too cold, not too hot, and the leaves look so appealing to the eye.

"Ne~ Roxas," said Sora.

"Hmm?"

"Let's go under that tree over there!" Sora pointed at the tree farthest away from the crowd. But it seemed to be at the highest point of the park.

"I bet the view there is awesome," Sora picked up his pace and pretty soon, they were running toward the tree. The basket that they brought with them jangled along.

"I was right!" Sora gazed triumphantly at the view. It overlooked almost the entire park and it was stunning. Roxas set up the blanket and brought out bentos from the basket.

"Sora, come here," Roxas patted at the space beside him. Obediently, Sora sat down and leaned against Roxas.

"Before we eat, I have to tell you something,"

"Yeah?"

"Okay, this may seem random to you but, right about this time, Americans are celebrating thanksgiving,"

"Thanksgiving? What's that?" Sora asked.

"It's a time when they give thanks. Originally it was started out by pilgrims celebrating good harvest, with help from the Native Americans," Roxas went on and Sora had a blank look on his face. Snickering, Roxas shook his head.

"Sorry. I won't bore you with the details so I'll go straight to my point," Roxas paused for a bit, "Most families celebrate it by having a big dinner, and they usually stop at that. Some families actually go through the process of telling everyone what they were thankful for that year."

Sora was sort of getting where Roxas was going.

"So, in honor of the traditional American thanksgiving, I decided to ask you out today to have a picnic with me. I'm thankful for a lot of things this year, and I want to share it with you,

"First of all, I'm thankful that nothing bad happened to me this year. I'm thankful that my friends are still my friends. I'm thankful that I gained new friends. But most of all, I'm thankful that I met you. I'm thankful for you. For you being you. For loving me. And for letting me love you.

Sora felt his eyes start to water. But he fought the tears from falling to keep from looking like an idiot.

"I'm... thankful too Roxas. For everything. I was faced with a lot of pain. And my family fell apart, but... that doesn't seem to matter much anymore." Sora hugged him and Roxas stroked his hair.

"This would be the last time I'm going to apologize for not realizing my feelings for you sooner. Okay? So let me say everything in full,

"I'm so so sorry that I made you go through all of that. I'm stupid and I don't think I deserve you -"

"Roxas -"

"Let me finish. But I love you. And I know you love me. I'm really sorry. I should have been right there beside you when your mom and dad finally got divorced. But what's done is done, and all I really could do now to make up for it is to never leave you.

"So let's promise. We will never, _ever_, leave each other, okay?" Roxas looked directly into his eyes. Sora practically glomped Roxas and they almost started rolling down the hill.

"I promise."

* * *

School was rough. Not only had Kairi formed an anti-Sora/anti-Roxas group, but everyone that barely even knew either of them were increasingly curious as to whether the rumors that had been spread about them were true. Neither Roxas nor Sora appreciated their harsh looks and insulting jokes. And of course, neither did their friends. For about a week, it went on without much damage, but in the end, Axel and Riku had had enough. But Namine was the first one to act.

In the halls, a freshman just passed by Roxas and Sora, who were minding their own business, and yelled, "FAGS." Right to their faces. Roxas was just about to punch the living daylights out of the kid but Namine had stepped in between them, and Sora held back Roxas's fist.

"Listen, do you even know what fag means? It means a cigarette, now, if you look at these two young men, you'd see that they're far from sticks of wrapped tobacco. Don't use words you don't understand. You'd end up embarrassing yourself. However, if you meant that word to hurt either of them, this is your punishment,"

Namine raised her fist and the kid closed his eyes, preparing for impact. She flicked his forehead and stuck her tongue out at him when he opened his eyes.

"You're lucky she got here first, if she was too late you would've had to answer to us," Riku cracked his knuckles. Axel stretched his arms and grinned menacingly at the young boy.

"Leave, and never let us see you talking to Roxas and Sora again," Axel threatened. The boy scurried away. Roxas slammed a punch to the lockers.

"Thanks," He said to everyone.

"Roxas, don't let these people get to you. They're stupid, and they're teenagers, you have to be on the mature side. Both you and Sora," Namine patted both of their backs.

"Yeah, we know. Thanks you guys," Sora said.

* * *

Hiding a relationship was harder than Roxas thought. He couldn't be seen on his phone too often, and whenever he and Sora chat on the web, he had to do it when it's really late at night. Cloud and Tifa weren't idiots. Roxas knew that. They were bound to find out soon enough. But he wanted to prolong his time with Sora as much as he can.

Roxas stumbled down to the kitchen one day with a huge headache. He hadn't gotten much sleep that night because he had to comfort Sora, via chat, because Squall and their mother seemed to have got into a fight.

"Roxas, you don't look too well," Tifa commented when she dropped the eggs onto Roxas's plate.

"I'm - *yawn* - fine," Roxas rubbed his eyes.

"Are you sure? Maybe you should lie down, it's a Saturday after all, go to sleep," Tifa said.

"Nah, I have to go out today," Roxas stabbed at the eggs but missed completely, instead, he managed to knock down his cup of orange juice with his fork and the cold - incredibly cold - liquid spilled onto his lap.

"Holy sh-" Tifa gave him a warning look because right at that moment, Denzel chose to come in.

"Good morning," Denzel yawned.

"I... I'm gonna go clean up," Roxas shook his head. Once Roxas was out of hearing range, Tifa asked Denzel a question that had been on her mind for quite a while.

"Ne, Denzel, isn't Roxas-nii acting strange?"

"Hmm? What do you mean Teef?" he asked before taking a huge bite of pancake.

"I mean, does he seem... different, at all?" she asked.

"Well, he's been tired a lot more lately. I think he stays up late. Plus he goes out a lot too. On Saturdays and Friday nights especially," Denzel commented.

"Hmm... I thought so," Tifa wanted to confirm her theory.

"Saa, I know what we're gonna do today Denzel!" Tifa grinned at the young boy.

"Mou... don't tell me we're gonna follow Roxas-nii," said Denzel.

"Exactly!"

"Teef! I wanna stay home and play video games!" Denzel complained.

"That's enough gaming for you young man. We're gonna follow Roxas and that's final. We're definitely gonna get to the bottom of this," Tifa was determined.

* * *

"Teef! Denzel! I'm leaving!" Roxas yelled.

"Ittarashai!" Tifa called out from the living room. As soon as she heard the door close she sprang up from the couch and grabbed her coat.

"Denzel! We're leaving now!"

"...Hai!" Denzel drudged himself down the stairs and put on a coat, then he followed Tifa to their garage. Roxas had taken his car to wherever he was going, it would be hard to follow him if he went on the freeway. But lucky for them, Roxas's first destination wasn't that far.

"Are you sure it's alright to do this Teef? Isn't this prying?" Denzel asked.

"Where'd you learn that word?" Tifa asked, completely ignoring his point.

"School. Anyway, I don't think we should do this. Isn't it against the law or something?"

"Well, you've grown up quite a bit huh? But don't you worry. It's alright if Roxas doesn't see us, right?" Tifa winked. Denzel sighed. There was no talking her out of it.

"Alright, I'll just sit here then and play with my DS. Just tell me if you need anything from me," Denzel slouched against the seat.

"Denzel, what happened to you? You used to be so into bothering your brothers!" Tifa asked, worried that something had happened to her partner in annoying the older Strife brothers.

"It's their life. I don't really care anymore about that. It's just kids stuff to me now," Denzel said nonchalantly.

"Che. You really are brothers aren't you. All of you. But whatever, no matter what you think, it's alright. I still have the power to drag you along with me!" Tifa grinned to herself.

"You know, in a couple of years I'd -"

"Shh! SHHH! Look!" Tifa slowed the car and pointed at Roxas's car. He was parking in a place that's hard to see. Tifa also had to find a parking spot where she won't be seen either. Thank heavens this street was full of alleys.

"Now let's just stay here and watch," Tifa pulled out binoculars. Denzel sighed.

"Teef..."

"Shh. Jeez, how much can a little boy change in just half a year? Guess it must be puberty," Tifa teased.

"Tifa!" Denzel blushed.

"Hehe. Now shush! I can't see a darn thing," Tifa held out a finger.

"I don't understand what that has to do with me talking. Plus I'm too young to be going through puberty anyway," Denzel pouted.

"Hold on a sec... I think... I think I see something..." Tifa whispered more to herself. "Whoah... that's a huge house."

"I wonder why Roxas is here... S-sora?" She spotted Sora coming out of the house and greeting Roxas with what seemed to be a hug. Or rather, what Tifa hoped to be. But as she looked more carefully, and as their contact with each other prolonged, it became apparent to Tifa exactly what Sora had done to greet Roxas.

Placing a shocked palm over her mouth, she dropped the binoculars. Denzel heard the sound and looked at Tifa with concern.

"Something wrong?"

"N-no. Nothing. Let's... just leave. Okay? We're leaving." Tifa started the engine and sped away as discretely as she can. _No. That can't be. Sora couldn't have been kissing Roxas. No. That... was just an optical illusion. Just my brain twisting things around. In any case, that shouldn't be what I'm worrying about. What I really should be wrapping my head around is why Roxas was there when he promised me that he wouldn't make any contact with Sora anymore. _Tifa tried to convince herself that it wasn't because Roxas and Sora had a relationship.

She tried to think of other things. So much in fact that she almost rammed her car into a tree. Denzel had to yell at her to focus. But how could she? She had twenty-twenty vision. But for some reason, she couldn't trust her eyes. Or rather, she didn't want to trust her eyes.

_It just isn't possible! It's... It's... wrong!... I need to talk to Cloud about this. But wait. First I need to confirm with Roxas himself. Yeah. That's it. That's what I'll do._

* * *

"Roxas! I missed you so much!" Sora said between kisses.

"Jeez, we've been skyping all night. By the way you're acting, one would think that we haven't seen each other in days," Roxas rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, but it feels like it! I'm really sorry I kept you up last night," Sora noticed the bags under his eyes.

"Nah. If it's for you, I'd do anything," Roxas wrapped his arms around his waist and pulled Sora close. He planted an open mouthed kiss on Sora. He'd never done that before, and neither had Sora. It felt wet and absolutely fantastic. The new passion between them was raised to a newer level. Roxas had to break it off before he got carried away. They were in public for crying out loud. And in front of Sora's house no less.

"S-sorry," Roxas scratched the back of his neck. Dazed, Sora raised his fingers to his lips. _Selphie was right. He **is **a great kisser. No. not just great. He's fucking amazing!_

Roxas cleared his throat and asked, "Where is everyone?"

"Squall-nii tried to make amends so he took all the girls out for a shopping spree. I think that he doesn't really feel sorry for what he did but he feels responsible for keeping this family together. What with all that happened."

"Well, today, I'm gonna take you out and have you forget about it! Okay?" Roxas grinned. A smile crept up Sora's face, and he nodded.

* * *

Coming home from the date, Roxas walked in the house on cloud nine. He felt high. High on Sora. And he didn't want to come down. But as soon as he got to the living room, the heavy atmosphere brought him back to earth.

"Tadaima..." Roxas said.

"Okaeri," Tifa massaged her temples.

"What's wrong Teef?" he asked.

"You haven't been lying to me right?" Tifa asked.

"What do you mean?"

"When you promised me that you won't talk to Sora ever again, you didn't lie to me right?"

"N-no," Roxas felt panicked. _She can't have figured it out already._

"Roxas..."

"No. Really. I wasn't lying."

"Okay. I'll change my question. And you had better answer me truthfully. Please... Did you break your promise with me?" she asked.

Roxas didn't know how to answer. He didn't want to lie, but if he told the truth it would be over. All over. Cloud would know. He and Tifa would forbid him from ever talking to Sora. They might even make him change schools. Roxas shook his head. He couldn't stand the thought of being away from Sora. _All I could do now is buy some more time for thinking. _

"Tell me. Why don't you want me to see him, or talk to him?" Roxas asked.

"Why can't I be friends with him?" his voice wavered. _Why do you not want me to be with him? _He bit his tongue so he wouldn't say it out loud.

"You know. You know full well why!"

"Even so! I've accepted it. I bury all of that in the past. This is now! Why can't I be friends with him now!" _Just let me be with him DAMMIT! _was what he really wanted to say.

"Because! Once he remembers, you don't know what he'll do! He might hate you! And you might hate yourself! And you'll end up getting hurt. Can't you see? I'm trying to protect you!"

Roxas couldn't take it anymore. "By not letting me be with the person I love? By taking away the joy in my life? You call this protecting? You're gonna make me miserable!"

"Roxas. In the long run... you'll get hurt. And I know you know that," Tifa lowered her voice. Roxas tried to calm down.

"I don't care about what happens in the future. The only thing I care about is what happens now. And right now, I want to be with him. I... I love him." Roxas lowered his head. Tifa sighed.

For a while, silence settled in the room. Tifa ventured to break it.

"I... I saw you two today. That's why.. That's how I knew. I didn't want to believe it because... it's wrong. In so many ways. And not because you two are both boys. But also because if he remembers everything, he might break things off. And you'll end up heart broken. That... is my worst fear. Having your heart broken is one of the worst feelings in the world. I know what that's like.

"I know you've had to go through a hard time, but all of it, all of it is nothing compared to losing the one you love the most. I lost my dad when I was close to your age now. I know you lost your parents too but I doubt you remember much. And knowing that it's your fault they're gone is even worse than just losing that person. It's tough. And I have to live with that everyday. I don't want you to go through that!" Tifa closed her eyes, she was saying something so personal, and so painful, that it took all her will power not to cry.

"You have Cloud to help you cope with that! It's different!"

"I know! I'm lucky that Cloud's with me. He takes that pain away little by little everyday. But what if the person that you need to help you cope with it is the person you're going to lose? That's who Sora is to you isn't he?"

"... Yes."

"And you don't want him to hate you right?"

"But I don't know if he is going to hate me! I don't know that! I'd rather take that risk and spend a longer time with him than completely cut him off now, in effect making him hate me for_ certain_!" Roxas tried to reason.

"Roxas..." Tifa's eyes softened. She couldn't argue with him. Roxas is just as stubborn as she is. But there was no way she could get him to agree with her. Not when his motivation for disagreeing with her is staying with the love of his life. Even she knew that.

"I... okay. Just let me ask you this, do you really love him?" She asked in all seriousness.

"Yes. I really do." _So please, just let me be with him. _

"We... need to tell Cloud about this," Tifa said. Roxas stiffened.

"Don't worry. Cloud's much easier to bend on this matter than I am, believe it or not. He wants you to be happy. And I do too. I guess the feeling of protecting you overpowered that feeling." Roxas didn't know how to answer to that.

"I'm sorry. I'm gonna let you be with him. Because I know now that that's what you really want. And that's gonna make you happy. I just hope that -"

"Don't worry Tifa. I believe in.. Sora's love for me," Roxas blushed. Tifa half-smiled at Roxas.

"Well look at you, grown up to be such a fine young man," she ruffled his hair and sighed, "Aah, I think I'm getting old. Even Denzel's acting more mature nowadays."

Roxas smiled up at her and fixed his hair. Cloud came in two hours later. Tifa had informed him about everything beforehand by phone, so when he walked in and saw Roxas, he shook his head.

"I never would've thought that my little-baby brother would fall for another guy too," Cloud teased. Roxas threw a pillow at him from the couch and rolled his eyes.

"Shut up."

"Well whatever, it doesn't matter who you're with, as long as you're happy with that person okay?" Cloud grinned.

"Hai, hai. Wait. Hold on, what do you mean 'too'?" Roxas asked.

"Oh snap. Cloud, I think you said more than you should have," Tifa smiled.

"Well, he's bound to find out anyway. Besides, wouldn't it be better that he found out now instead of at a family gathering in the future? That would be so awkward for him," Cloud half-joked.

"True," Tifa laughed.

"Wait, found out what?" Roxas was increasingly growing curious with every second that passed.

"Your older brother. Not me of course, I have Tifa -"

"For all I know, you could've been hooking up with that other Leonhart, the oldest one. He seems to really idolize you you know. He called a couple of times asking -"

"Anyway," Cloud interrupted her. Tifa had a cat-like grin on her face. "I was talking about your Ven-nii. He and Sora's older brother, I think Vanitas is his name, got caught in a rather compromising position just last year in one of the dorm rooms at their school. I was notified, and so was their oldest brother. Of course, we didn't want to make a fuss, so we didn't tell you. But now that another Strife had fallen for a Leonhart, I think it's time I told you."

"Honestly Cloud, you are one of the weirdest men I've ever met. If I was a guy, and I found out that not just one, but two of my brothers were in love with two other guys, from the same family no less, I'd be freaking out! Which leads me to believe that the reason why you're okay with this is because you've been cheating on me with that other Leonhart," Tifa continued to tease.

"Shut-up Teef. You know it's not like that," Cloud rolled his eyes.

"Oh really?" Tifa asked.

"Really."

"Really?"

"Really."

"Prove it." And that was Roxas's cue to leave. The last time they had their Oh-really-really-prove-it arguments, Roxas actually dared to stay to see how Cloud 'proved it'. He ended up being scarred for life. Let's just say that both Cloud and Tifa were comfortable with their bodies. _Really _comfortable with their bodies.

* * *

Roxas closed the door to his room and sighed. _Even if they agreed to it, Tifa's still right. Sora's bound to remember. And once he does... well, I'm willing to risk it all. I believe in Sora's love. And I believe in mine. We promised. We promised each other that we'll never ever leave each other._

A nagging thought kept pestering Roxas. It was an understood fact of the world. Promises were meant to be broken. _But it won't happen. It won't! _

_We promised._


	18. Chapter 17

**Author's Note: **Yay! I'm starting to get direction. I THINK I know how to go about this story :) Merry Christmas. Happy Holidays. Have a happy, happy New Year. :D I just realized that it's been about one year and one month since I first posted this story. This is the first ever fanfiction I've written that lasted a whole year. I'm proud. I'm rereading the whole story(mostly because I forgot what happened and what didn't happen... so yeah...)

Also, this is one of the longer chapters. (:

* * *

_Goddamn. _Xion bit the tip of her thumb as she sat in her room, contemplating her next move. The rumors had been spread by her. Of course, no one would suspect it, if anything, Roxas and Sora probably thought that it was Kairi who did it. But Xion wasn't satisfied with just being uncaught. She wanted the rumors to drive them up to a wall, and break them up. Xion knew that it would hurt Sora. And it hurt Roxas too. And it hurt her to think that her brother was in pain because of her.

But the thought of his brother broken at the hands of Roxas was too much for her to bear. She knew it, she just knew that Roxas would end up hurting him. She can't afford any mistakes.

_Stupid mistakes lead to big errors. No. Stupid mistakes lead to failure. And I cannot fail. I don't want to have to do this but... it has to be done._ Xion knew what she had to do. She wasn't proud of it, but she certainly wouldn't stop because of her pride.

* * *

Little by little, fragments of tiny memories flit through the back of Sora's eyes. When his eyes close, images of a young Roxas smiling and laughing would appear. Sora thought it strange. Why was he seeing a young Roxas? He'd barely even seen a picture of Roxas as a young teen, let alone an eight year old child. _Eight... where did that number come from? Arbitrary... yeah, that's it. Just an arbitrary number. The Roxas that I see just looks like an eight year old. _

_I have no way of knowing for sure. So stop thinking about it. _But for reasons unknown to him, he can't. It gnawed at his conscience, and at his dreams. It ate away little by little until all Sora could think about was the young Roxas.

But Sora was determined to push the pesky thoughts away. They brought a sense of dread. A feeling at the pit of his stomach that wasn't at all pleasant. It was eerie, the way that Sora all of a sudden clearly remembers a young Roxas whom he was sure he'd never even met before. Sora didn't want to bring it up. Instinct told him that if he did talk to Roxas about it, something bad would happen.

_Just forget about it. It's not important anyway. _Funny how the mind works though. The more you wish to not think about something, the more you do. Sora fell asleep trying to will away the thoughts...

_"Hahah! That was soooo cool! Teach me how to play that song too!" Sora squealed. A beautiful woman smiled at him and gently patted the space beside her on the stool. _

_"Really? I can learn it?" she nodded and chuckled at the child's innocence. She started to play the keys and said words that couldn't be heard. Her mouth opened and all of a sudden, Roxas appears beside him. He plays the song Sora had been longing to learn. _

_Sora watched, entranced as Roxas melodically played the song. Roxas looked up when the song was over, and tears stained his cheeks. He mouthed words, but Sora couldn't make it out._

_He kept on repeating what he was saying until... _Sora woke up with a start. _What in the world? Oh... I fell asleep. _Sora took a deep breath to calm his nerves.

_What time is it anyway?... It's 4 am? _Sora's eyes widened. _How long have I been asleep?... Oh well, no use going back to sleep now. I can't anyway. I guess I'll just get ready for school._ Sora stood up and got a head rush. He blacked out for a split second, and it took him a few more to regain focus.

Memories from the dream flashed. Roxas. Roxas crying. He was trying to tell Sora something. _But... what was he saying? _Again, Roxas mouthed the words in the back of Sora's mind.

_I'm sorry._

* * *

Roxas snuck up behind Sora and covered his eyes.

"Aah! I can't see! Who is this?" Sora felt the gloved hands of his captor. Tracing up the arms, he got to his head and felt the spiky yet soft tips of hair that belonged to only one person.

"Ah. Hmm.. I wonder who this person could be..." Sora teased. Roxas knew. But who cared?

"Hmm... I really don't know," Sora continued.

"Oh, well, then I guess I won't turn around and give that person a kiss," Sora started to walk away with Roxas's hands still clamped over his eyes.

"S-sora, stop," but Sora kept on walking, "Sora! We're gonna trip!" Roxas laughed.

"Hmm, but the rules say that I can't see unless I guess who the person is," Sora giggled.

"Sora!" Roxas shook his head. And the inevitable happened, Sora's foot got snagged on one of the cracks on the concrete sidewalk. He was falling, falling face first to the hard ground. Roxas didn't realize what was happening until he started falling too. There was no way he'd be able to balance them when they were already that far. All that Roxas could do is protect Sora.

Using skills that Roxas obviously possessed, he flipped their positions mid-fall and he landed on his back.

"Ow," Roxas muttered and winced.

"Roxas! Roxas, oh my gosh, are you alright? Obviously you're not. What am I saying, oh my gosh, Roxas!" Sora squabbled to his feet.

"Calm down!" Roxas held his the back of his head as he sat up.

"Are you alright?" Worry was evident in Sora's eyes, and Roxas's own eyes softened when he saw it. He flashed him a grin.

"I'm fine."

"Are you sure?" Sora asked.

"Yes, I'm sure. Now help me up," Roxas held his hand out and Sora grabbed it eagerly. "I'm so sorry."

"Nah. It was kinda my fault in the first place," Roxas shook his head.

"But-!"

"Forget it, it's okay," Roxas patted Sora's head.

"O-okay," Sora looked down. Roxas sighed, but a flash of brilliance occurred in his head.

"Weeeell. If you really feel bad about it, maybe you should get a punishment?" Sora's head snapped up.

"A punishment?" Sora felt weary about it.

"Kiss me."

"What? Right now? Right here?" Sora was shocked to say the least. Not that he minded kissing Roxas, but they were in public. Not only that, they were near their school.

"Who cares? It's just me, and you," Roxas stepped forward.

"But... but, people will see," Sora hesitated.

"Screw them. All of them. If they can't accept us then it doesn't matter. We don't need their approval."

"Roxas..." Sora felt his heart beating fast. Snaking his arms around Roxas's shoulders, he leaned up and closed his eyes. Just as their lips were about to touch. Roxas poked Sora's forehead.

"Huh?" Sora opened his eyes. Sticking his tongue out, Roxas laughed.

"Baka, that's what you get for making us fall!"

"Mou! That's so mean Roxas! Leading me on like that..." Sora pouted.

"Aww. I'm sorry. I wasn't totally lying," Roxas hugged Sora close. "I really don't care about what other people think anymore."

Sora's face lifted up into a big smile. "Me neither."

Roxas pinched Sora's side and laughed when Sora shivered in response, and instinctively moved away.

"Roxas!"

"Sorry, I couldn't help it," Roxas stuck his tongue out at him. Sora pouted.

"You're starting to get a little flabby Sora," Roxas continued to tease.

"Mou! Why are you so mean to me? It's not my fault that I'm gaining weight! Blitzball won't start again until spring, and it's winter right now. Gaining weight is inevitable," Sora reasoned.

"Yeah, if you're a bear," Roxas joked.

"Roxas, stop it!" Sora hit his shoulder and moved away from him.

"Aww, you know I'm just kidding," Roxas pulled him close, Sora just huffed.

"Alright. Alright, I'll stop."

"Good." Sora's lips twisting into a smile.

* * *

Roxas rummaged through his drawers, frantically looking for a pen and a clean sheet of paper. He found a piece that was seemingly void of any random doodles and he grabbed it without looking twice at it.

Finally finding a pen, Roxas took the paper and flipped it over to make sure that it was really blank. But on the back was a drawing that Roxas felt that he drew it so long ago. In fact, it was only a couple of months old. But what happened over the past few months felt like a whole year. He thought back to the time when he knew little to nothing about Sora except for the fact that he hated him. He remembered absolutely dreading having to go to his house every Friday and Saturday. And he remembered how they went from strangers to friends. And from friends to what they are now. _Lovers._ Roxas thought with a light blush on his face

So much had happened. Sora had to go through so much crap, and Roxas needed a lot of time to realize his own feelings. Now, Christmas was drawing near. _Drawing near? It's tomorrow! _Roxas scoffed. Roxas knew he had to get Sora a gift. But he couldn't think of anything, and he pushed it until the last day. That was why he rummaged through all that junk in his drawers just to look for a pen and paper. He wanted to write down ideas for a present.

The drawing that he found reminded him of so much. It was the picture that he drew of Sora painting. When Sora came running to him for comfort when he found out that his parents were getting a divorce. It was when Roxas admired Sora's childlike purity. _Maybe... If I hadn't been so dense and stupid, and if I really thought about my actions that day, I would have realized that I loved Sora. _Roxas thought

_But of course, time can't be turned back... _

_I have an idea for his present. _Taking out his sketch pad and pencils, Roxas started to draw. It felt as though so much time had passed.

Roxas spent hours upon hours pouring over the sketchpad. Shading this way and that. He didn't even realize that he fell asleep. When he woke up, he continued to work on his drawing until finally, he finished. It took him almost a whole day to finish but it was worth it. All that was left was to give it to Sora.

* * *

Roxas appeared on Sora's doorstep not even twenty minutes later. He rang the door bell and waited for Sora to answer. He didn't think about the consequences. He didn't worry about the fact that Sora's mother might be home, or about the possibility of his father being home. All he cared about was giving Sora the picture and kiss him senseless.

Fortunately, Sora was the one who answered the door.

"Merry Christmas!" Sora greeted and motioned for him to come in. "I was wondering why you haven't called yet."

"Sorry, I was busy with your present," Roxas scratched the back of his neck and stepped inside the warm mansion.

"You just got it today? Wow... Roxas," Sora pretended to be disappointed.

"I'm sorry, but you'll like it. I hope..."

"I'll love anything you give to me," Sora kissed his cheek.

"Do you want to go out today?" Roxas asked.

"No... Actually, I was hoping that we could stay here," Sora said.

"Uh... but, what about your mom?" Roxas asked.

"She... Well, she kinda left yesterday. She said something about how Christmas was supposed to be a time when family gathered. But since... our family isn't really a family anymore, it made her sad to think about it. I think the divorce is really getting to her."

"Oh... I hope she'll be okay."

"She'll be fine. I think," Sora said. "Anyway, it's only me, Xion, Marlene, some of the servants, and Squall-nii at the house. Van-nii is out with someone - he wouldn't tell me who - and so yeah," Sora explained. Suddenly, Roxas remembered something really important.

"Hey, I need to tell you something. It's the strangest thing ever," Roxas said.

"Yeah?"

"My brother, Ven, and your brother, Vanitas, they're dating." Sora's eyes bulged.

"What? ! Are you serious?"

"Yeah, Cloud-nii told me. Which reminds me," Roxas drew Sora close.

"I told them about us," Roxas began.

"And?"

"They're okay with it," Roxas grinned. Sora sighed in relief.

"Thank god," Sora was about to say something afterwards but Roxas cut him off with his lips. But Sora had to pull away.

"Roxas... Roxas, hold on," he said.

"Before we start making out and whatnot," he blushed, "I want to give you your present first."

"Aww..." Roxas pouted playfully. Sora rolled his eyes.

"Come on, let's go upstairs," Sora led him up to his room, but before he opened the door, he told Roxas to close his eyes.

"Ooookay..." Roxas shrugged.

"No peaking!"

"Hai hai," Roxas said and walked into the room.

"Don't open them yet," said Sora. After a few trips and stumbles and 'craps' and 'ows,' Sora told Roxas to open his eyes. There in front of him was a neatly wrapped rather large box with a card attached to it.

Roxas was confused, why had Sora made such a fuss about it? Sensing his confusion, Sora smiled and said, "Go ahead and open it."

Roxas looked closer at the box and noticed that there were holes on the side. Intrigued, he took the top off and out came an energetic ball of fur. It was a puppy. A black little puppy with droopy ears.

"A dog? You got me a dog?"

"Well, not exactly," Sora said.

"What?"

"I got _us _a dog."

"Huh?" asked Roxas, even more confused.

"I was thinking that I really wanted to give you something that you'd treasure, and so I thought really hard about it. But I realized that I can't really buy you anything because, well, your family is just as rich as mine is, and so if you wanted something materialistic, you can get it by yourself, and it won't really mean much."

"And so you got me a dog?" Roxas asked again.

"Well, then I started thinking about what things _would _mean much to you. Then I realized, I didn't really know. So I thought, why not just get a dog, everyone loves dogs right? Plus, if I got you a dog, I could play with it, so it's a win-win, right?"

Roxas shook his head and laughed. "Only you would come up with that."

"What? I think it was brilliant!" Sora defended himself.

"Why? You don't like dogs?" then he gasped, "Don't tell me you're allergic!"

"N-no, that's not it," Roxas sweatdropped. "I'm not allergic to dogs. It's just that, you're a really interesting person. And I love you for that. Thank you for your gift, I promise I'll take very good care of her."

"Him." Sora corrected.

"Oh, sorry," Roxas apologized.

"Anyway, what should we name him?" Roxas asked. Then Sora twiddled his thumbs and looked at the ground.

"You already named him, didn't you?"

"Well..." Sora said in a tiny voice. Roxas laughed and ruffled Sora's hair.

"You are too cute!... Okay, so what did you name him?"

"Goofy."

"Goofy?" Roxas asked.

"Well, when I was at the pet store, there was a lot of black puppies for sale, and all of them looked alike. But, this one kinda stood out. Not because he looked different, but because everyone seemed to have left him off to the side by himself. I don't really know what he was doing - he was doing some sort of dance thingy - but for some reason, he got his head stuck through one of the railings.

"I laughed and thought that he was such an odd dog. But then I felt bad for him because everyone else practically shunned him away because he was different... Somehow, I sympathized with him. He's like us," explained Sora.

"But you know, we're not truly alone like he was, we had friends," Roxas said.

"I know. But since I got him for us, now he has friends too!" Sora patted the dog's head.

"I guess so," Roxas scratched behind the puppy's ear.

"Anyway, what did you get me?" Sora asked, excited.

"Weeeell, since you had a long back story to your present, I think mine should too," Roxas reasoned.

"It wasn't _that_ long. But anyway, continue," Sora almost bounced in excitement.

"I was rummaging through my stuff yesterday to look for a pen and paper so that I can think of things to get you. And I found this," Roxas pulled out a piece of paper. Sora looked at the drawing, slightly confused as the why it was a picture of him drawing.

"Remember that day you came to my house because your parents were fighting? And remember how I told you that you should channel your emotions through some sort of medium? And remember how you finger painted?" Roxas asked and Sora nodded.

"Well, while you were painting, I drew you. You looked so pure and handsome and so... Sora-like. It was like the scene I saw was begging to be drawn. And so I did."

"Well, that doesn't sound creepy," Sora joked.

"Tell me about it," Roxas laughed. "Anyway, when I saw that drawing, a lot of memories were triggered. And it feels like it had been a year, or more, what with everything that happened."

Sora nodded.

"I love you Sora," Roxas kissed his cheek and pulled out the real present. "Merry Christmas."

The drawing was beautiful. It was like a collage. It looked so realistic. So many memories, some even Sora forgot. But everything that had happened over the past few months had been drawn in almost perfect detail. From when Roxas started tutoring Sora, to the Blitzball game they had, to the time when Roxas played the piano for Sora, to the Halloween party, to the time when they got together officially, and up to the mock-thanksgiving that they had.

"It's beautiful Roxas." Sora said before launching himself at Roxas, taking him down on the bed. He carefully set the picture aside and latched his lips onto Roxas's. Roxas kissed back with just as much passion and just as much vigor as Sora had.

Lifting himself up to a sitting position, Roxas pushed Sora back until he had him trapped between him and the mattress. Roxas asked for permission to enter Sora's mouth and Sora complied without resistance. Sora laced his fingers behind Roxas's head and pulled his face closer.

Roxas used his arms to support himself so that he doesn't crush Sora, but it was growing increasingly hard to focus when Sora's tongue and his battled for dominance.

The puppy, long forgotten, seemed to understand what was going on. His new masters were having fun without him, but it didn't matter, he could have fun by himself.

Besides, they'll pay attention to him later. It's right to give them privacy right then. So Goofy just turned his back to them and laid down on the carpeted floor with his paws over his eyes. Then, he took his paws off and gingerly got on his feet. He proceeded to hop around and explore the room.

What an incredibly odd dog.


	19. Chapter 18

**Author's note: **God this year... the last few weeks of it had been insane. Damn. I felt emotionally spent a day before Christmas. It didn't even feel like Christmas. To top it all off, I got sick :(. I really need to do something about... nevermind. It's not important. Anyway, I hope all of you had a wonderful christmas! And I hope that the Holidays had been so much better for you than it had be for me. Here you go! :D HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE! (belated)

(1)Hatsumoude, based on a lot of anime that I've watched, and manga that I've read, is the first visiting of the temple for the year(so during midnight). Usually there's food, and you get a slip of paper that tells you your fortune for the year.

* * *

Roxas and Sora hadn't seen each other until New Year's eve. There were too many events, too much family reunions, parties and whatnot that made it so that it was hard for them to meet. But New Year's Eve, their first Hatsumoude(1) as a couple, was not to be missed. Neither Roxas nor Sora would stand for that. Deciding that it was best to go with just the two of them, and meet with their friends afterwards, Roxas and Sora proceeded on the first temple visit of the year alone.

They walked with hands linked in between them, their huge coats hiding it from view. The crowd also helped in camouflaging their proximity.

Roxas rang the bell, bowed, clapped his hands together, and closed his eyes in deep prayer. Sora did the same.

_This was a wonderful year. I hope next year will be even better... And I'm sure it will be now that I have him with me._

Looking at each other with silly smiles plastered on their faces, Roxas and Sora went to get their fortunes for the year.

"What did you get?"

"It says that I have a lot of luck with love, but I should take care of myself more," Sora read.

"Mine says that I should beware of something... That's not very specific," Roxas rolled his eyes, completely disregarding the foreboding tone of his fortune.

"The only thing I have to beware of is the party tonight. I don't want them to ruin my house," Roxas laughed.

"Haha, Don't worry Roxy, we'll take good care of your house," out of nowhere Larxene came up from behind and latched onto Roxas. Sora's eyes narrowed a fraction, but a smile was still on his face.

"Larxene, get off of me," Roxas tried to pry her off.

"Sorry, my friends that you haven't really met yet are kinda touchy feely..." Roxas sweatdropped when Demyx came up from nowhere and glomptackled his torso.

"I apologize for my dogs' behaviors," Zexion came up from behind.

"Dogs?" Sora tilted his head to the side.

"Yes, Demyx and Larxene," Zexion said with a blank look.

"Aaaand this guy has a twisted sense of humor," Axel explained for Roxas who was busy trying to untangle himself from both Demyx and Larxene's arms.

"That's Zexion, Demyx, and Larxene, they're seniors like me," Axel pointed to each respectively.

"Hiya! I'm Pence!" Pence approached them with a smile of his face, followed by Hayner and Olette. Namine came with Xion and in their hands were plastic bags filled with what Sora thought, or rather _hoped_, to be cake and food for the party later on.

"Hi, I don't think we've been properly introduced yet," Hayner held out a hand. Sora shook it and smiled at both Olette and Hayner.

"Hi there."

"Uh, a little help here?" Roxas called from the... ground? Apparently Demyx and Larxene managed to drag him to the ground.

"You're on your own there buddy," Riku came with Selphie.

"Riku! Selphie!" Sora exclaimed.

"Hey!" Riku waved, and Selphie did too.

"Hi," Selphie said, then she noticed the change it atmosphere, "Well, this isn't awkward!"

The others, except for Axel, Namine, and Xion, looked at Roxas before they said anything. It was strange to have an ex-girlfriend with your group of friends. Especially with a new _boyfriend._ (not that they knew about it for sure... _yet. _- Roxas and Sora had been planning to tell those that didn't know yet for sure, officially.) When Roxas gave them all a smile to indicate that he was totally fine with it, they all welcomed Selphie with open arms.

* * *

Eventually they all found themselves in Roxas's house, eating their family's food, and having a blast. Ven and Vanitas made it, making it incredibly awkward at first. But, Cloud and Tifa had both been very accommodating, not to mention very lenient *cough* alcohol *cough*. Marlene and Denzel didn't get any, of course, but they still were having as much fun as the older people were. A lot of people were there, and a lot of them had alcohol in their system. So when Denzel and Marlene were put to bed, and Cloud and Tifa left to be alone, madness ensued.

Suddenly, everything was funny. Everything was probable. Everything was possible. Nothing was boring. But it was so incredibly _hot_.

"You guys!" Slurred a very drunk Namine. "Letszzz play s*hiccup*spin the bottle!"

Various versions of "your on!" came from all around the room. Managing to organize themselves into a circle, or what they thought was a circle, they grabbed the nearest beer bottle they found and placed it in the middle.

"I'm going first!" Riku announced. Spinning the bottle with great speed, it came to a stop on Selphie. Jeering and teasing came from all around the circle.

"Pucker up," Riku grinned. Selphie all too happily complied, lost in her drunken stupor.

"Yes! I'm next!" Selphie raised a fist in the air. She spun the bottle and it landed on Olette. Again, more jeering and teasing, but this time, wolf whistles were added, and the males all looked on with interest. (Yes, including Sora.)

"That was HOT!" Sora crawled to the middle and spun the bottle.

"It's, not *hiccup* not your turn yet! *hiccup*" Olette said.

"I don't care!" Sora watched the bottle stop on none other than Demyx. At this time, Roxas managed to gain a little bit of composure back, and realized what was going to happen as soon as they start kissing. But the alcohol got the better of him and delayed his reaction. In the end, in order for Demyx not to buttrape his boyfriend right then and there, he pulled Sora away and set him on his lap, his arms wrapped around him possessively.

"Aww, Roxy! You're no fun!" Demyx pouted. Zexion, who for some reason, seemed the least affected by the booze, hit Demyx upside the head. Larxene grabbed the bottle from Demyx's hands and spun it.

It landed on Hayner. Without warning, she grabbed the other blonde by the collar and smashed their lips forcefully together. Ven took this opportunity to take the bottle for himself.

He spun and it landed on Xion. All eyes were on her. And on Roxas. Though they knew it wasn't the same person, Roxas and Ven looked too much alike that it was as if she really was kissing Roxas.

Successfully grabbing the bottle before anyone else, Xion spun it and it landed on Axel. Axel mocked her by making kissy faces before Xion surprised him with a full attack on his lips. Everyone was laughing at this point.

It was as if nothing was_ not_ amusing to them.

"You guys! Let's play another game!" Larxene raised her hand.

"What *hiccup* game?" Sora bounced on Roxas's lap. Roxas had to stop him before things got out of his control.

"Seven minutes in heaven?" Xion suggested.

Everyone agreed. Soon the pairs had been decided, and first up was Xion and Roxas. By this time, Xion had almost fully gained conscious control of herself. She knew that her plan had to be carried out. And what better time than now?

"Roxas..." she whispered his name when they were alone in the closet.

"Yeah?" Roxas could feel her coming closer. Almost instinctively, he backed up.

"Xion?"

"Roxas... don't be with Sora," was what she said before she latched her lips onto his. Knowing well that Sora was listening into it, she knew she had to make it as convincing as she can. She knew she had to make him guilty. It was the only way to separate them.

"Be with me instead," she said louder.

"I've been in love with you from the start. And it hurt me that you ended up with Sora! I love you more than he does. I've loved you for longer than he did," she went on. Roxas way past the point of confusion.

"Xion? What are you saying? You're just drunk! You don't mean what you're saying right now."

"I do. I do Roxas. I love you. You and Sora should just break up. Because it's wrong. Because you don't belong with him! The reason I helped you guys out was so that I can sabotage it and have you for myself," Xion lied. _Well, that wasn't a **total **lie._

"You are insane! What are you talking about!" Roxas was snapped out of his alcohol haze. But on the other side, Roxas's protests fell to deaf ears. Sora had heard what Xion wanted him to hear. And he was snapped out of his alcohol haze as well. _That's not true. It can't be true. Right? _

When the time was up, Sora was sitting alone in the corner, no one else had heard it but him. Roxas didn't know, but he felt incredibly awkward. Xion just stared at the ground.

Roxas thought that the fun would end because of the weirdness caused by the game, but he was wrong. The fun was already over seeing as everyone else had already passed out on the floor.

Sora tried hard not to fall asleep, but in the end, he succumbed to the overpowering effect of the alcohol. Roxas only had enough strength and motor functions to drag his alcohol fatigued body next to Sora and place himself in a comfortable position before falling asleep. Xion herself couldn't stand against the beer's tiring effect, and she fell asleep where she sat.

* * *

When they woke up in the morning, Sora wanted to believe that he couldn't remember anything. But try as he might, he couldn't shake off the memory.

He and the others had a rather uneventful goodbye. All of them were tired, and most were sprouting headaches. Roxas was too groggy to even remember, much less comprehend, how all his guests managed to kick themselves out the door.

Roxas spent the whole day sleeping, half on the floor, and half on his bed, away the memories of the night before. Ven was older and therefore handled alcohol better, he merely took an aspirin and drank coffee. He was perfectly fine after that. He spent the better part of the day laughing at his younger brother.

Cloud and Tifa woke up to see a really messy house. Cloud had to leave for work, so Tifa was left to clean up. She cursed Roxas and his friends with every plastic plate, cup, or utensil she had to pick up from the ground. She swore to all the gods she knew about with every stain she had to clean off of the carpet.

Marlene left with Vanitas, Sora, and Xion before Denzel woke up, so when he did, he asked Tifa where his friend was.

"I don't know Denzel, she might've left with Sora and them, there's no one here anymore," she sighed, trying hard not to let her annoyance and irritation get the better of her.

"Okay, do you want me to help Teef?" Denzel asked. Almost instantly, Tifa brightened and smiled at the young boy.

"Oh, absolutely! Thank you!"

* * *

Things with Sora weren't as bright and happy as they were in Roxas's house. Vanitas left as soon as they reached the front door. Sora avoided Xion, and he wanted to be left alone. Marlene sensed something was wrong, but she couldn't find the courage to ask. Xion didn't do anything because everything was falling according to her plan. Or so she thought.

Sora sat in his room, the puppy was asleep next to him. Roxas had asked Sora to take care of the puppy before he could tell both Cloud and Tifa about a pet. Sora had no problem with it, after all, it was his idea to get the dog in the first place, he should take responsibility for it while Roxas couldn't do so yet.

Stroking the fur on its back, Sora listened to the steady breaths of the dog. It was calming, and comforting. But it didn't work to get rid of the memory of last night. It bothered Sora a lot. To think that his sister was in love with his boyfriend. And to think that his sister had helped him get together with said boyfriend, but with the hope of sabotaging the plan. Sora didn't think it was true.

_But if she said it... then it must be, _Sora thought to himself.

"Argh! I just want to stop thinking about it!" Sora cursed at the ceiling. Eventually though, the deep breaths of the dog, along with its warmth, lulled Sora to sleep.

And once again, those memories came back to Sora. He heard his sister's voice saying the same things she said the night before over and over again. But all of the sudden, it changed.

Her voice seemed more urgent, more pleading, and afraid.

_"Sora, Sora! Open the door! Sora!" __she yelled. Her voice was muffled but Sora could understand her perfectly. It was warm where he was laying, but it was also wet. _

_ Then the dream changed to something else. Sora was walking hand in hand with Roxas. At first it was them in their ages now, but then slowly, it changed to them in their younger years._

_Then it changed again, to a young Roxas's crying face. Sora could feel that he was crying as well. Young Roxas turned his back to Sora and ran away, as far as his little legs would take him._

_"No... don't leave... don't leave me," Sora held his hand out. But he was gone. And everything went black. _

Sora woke up breaking in cold sweat. He looked at the clock and saw that it was 5 am. He slept through nearly the entire day yesterday. Sora didn't know what to feel.

He remembered.

He remembered everything. Sora remembered everything.

* * *

When Roxas awoke the next day, Tifa and Cloud were in a frenzy, getting dressed in formal clothing. Roxas figured that it was just another business party, but when he saw that his other older brother, and his younger brother were wearing suits and ties as well, Roxas mentally groaned.

_Damn. Another one of these yearly family gatherings. Goddamn. And I wanted to hang out with Sora today too._

"Roxas! Hurry up!" Ven yelled as he happened to spot Roxas trudging his body out of his room.

"'Kay..." Roxas yawned.

"Hurry or we'll be late!" Tifa yelled from her room.

"Hai hai!" It never failed to amaze Roxas how his hands seemed to have a mind of their own in the morning. They managed to get him dressed while he was still half asleep, and when Roxas looked in the mirror, he didn't look bad.

_Wow... I'm awesome. _Roxas laughed at himself. _I am so conceited, _he rolled his eyes at his own reflection.

"Roxas!" Ven yelled at him.

"Come down here! We're leaving!" sighing, Roxas prepared himself for what's to come. Family gatherings were always tiring. Not that he didn't like his family. It's just that he'd much rather spend the day with Sora than spend it with them.

* * *

They got to the party and Roxas knew that everyone there was somehow related to him. But he didn't know everyone. He only had a few cousins his age, but he wasn't close with them.

Mostly, he hung out with his older relatives. Denzel, as soon as he spotted his cousins that were his age(of which he had a lot more than Roxas), ran off to play with them. Ven placed his arm around Roxas's shoulders and said, "I know how you feel, just think about it like this, if you don't enjoy yourself, time would move slower, which means it would take longer for you to be with him, okay?"

Roxas nodded and sighed. Ven was right. Since he was here, he might as well just enjoy it, right? That way time would move so much faster and he can be with Sora all he wanted.

* * *

On nearly the other side of the city, Sora was practically hyperventilating. He waited until the sun actually rose before he tried to call Roxas. But he couldn't find the courage to dial his number. He didn't know what to say. He didn't know how to act. His thoughts came in fragments, and so did his breaths. He didn't know what to do.

He was scared, confused, and lost. It took him a while before he found enough resolve to dial the number(A total of nearly five hours). He needed to talk to Roxas. He just needed to make sure that his dreams were just dreams. That they weren't actual memories.

But somewhere, at the back of his mind, his subconscious was telling him that it was true. That his dreams really were memories.

_Roxas..._ Sora thought as he speed dialed his number.

_Roxas please answer your phone. Please. Pick up!_

* * *

Back with Roxas, he had a glass of punch in his hand and talked to his aunts and uncles with a strained smile. When he finally managed to get away from them, he was dragged by his older brother to his cousins.

He couldn't seem to get any of them to leave him alone. Sighing in defeat, he decided to just go with the flow.

All the while, he didn't realize that his phone was vibrating in his pocket.


	20. Chapter 19

**Author's Note: **Hey y'all! Looking at the reviews, it makes me happy. So incredibly happy. I looked at the story stats, and it made me even happier. Just to know that people are reading my stuff, it makes me feel special. And to know that some of those people enjoy it, makes me downright ecstatic. I love all of you guys, and if I could bake all of you a cookie, I'd gladly do it.

This had been a wonderful, wonderful journey. I wouldn't say that I wasted my time writing this story because I didn't. I managed to entertain myself, entertain someone else, and improve all at once. This was an experience I truly, truly enjoyed. Your reviews make me laugh and smile, and some of them helped me. I'm really really close to ending this joyride, so without further ado, here is one of the final chapters. But it's NOT over yet. I assure you. It won't be over until I click that completed box :)

Oh, and btw, I went through all of the reviews I have so far, and I read the second review that I got, and whoever that person is, I got hooked on KHR: it is amazing. (HIBARI!) Thank you :3 (Actually, it was the reason why I've been... dormant *like a volcano* for quite a long time. I've gotten obsessed, utterly obsessed, with the 1827 pairing and I just haven't found the time, nor the muses, to continue to write this chapter. And I didn't want this chapter to be stupid so I purposefully put it off until I found the inspiration to continue writing it)

* * *

Roxas tapped his foot to a nonexistent rhythm. Glancing at his watch, he saw that only five minutes had passed since he finally heard and read Sora's messages. He sounded... urgent. And it scared Roxas. What had happened to his beloved Sora? Furthermore, _Why isn't he answering the goddamn phone? _He'd been trying for five minutes, and already, he'd left about 15 different messages. All pretty much saying the same thing.

Roxas couldn't think straight, he wouldn't respond to any of his family's jibes at him, and he just simply couldn't stop worrying. He had to leave. He just knew that Sora needed him to be there. _How long do I still have to stay here for? _

It was almost 2:30 pm. And the lunch wasn't even close to being over yet. Roxas supposed that this would drag on until dinner time, but he had no time for that. He needed to leave, and he needed to leave right then.

Finally, an idea came to him.

"Cloud-nii!" He called in the crowd of blondes and light haired brunettes. Cloud yelled from nearly the other side of the large hall they were in.

"Yeah?"

"Cloud-nii!"

"Roxas? Come here!"

"What?"

"I said, come here!"

"What?"

"COME HERE!" and finally, Roxas heard his brother's slightly agitated voice clearly. He fought his way through the crowd, _Why do I have so many family members? _

"What is it?" Cloud asked when Roxas emerged from the group of people.

"I..." Roxas heaved, "I just wanted to ask," he panted, "if I could take your bike for just a quick sec."

"My... bike?" Cloud's face grew incredulous. No one, absolutely no one was allowed to touch his bike, except for himself. He trusted no one with all the crazy configurations he personally installed in his bike, and he just didn't want anyone to put a dent or a scratch on it, lest all hell break loose.

"Please?" Roxas pleaded.

"...Why?" Cloud raised a brow.

"It's important!" Roxas's voice raised a bit.

"Roxas..." Cloud said sternly.

"I need to see Sora," Roxas sighed.

"Can't you wait? You've only been separated for a few hours, I'm sure you can handle a couple more," Cloud rolled his eyes.

"No! I need to go now. It's really important," Roxas said.

"Why? Roxas, this is your family. It's your duty to stay whether you want to or not. Plus, it's not as if he's dying, right?"

Roxas bit his lip. He was so worried. He didn't know if Sora's life was in any physical danger, but he knew that Sora was hurt, and he knew that he had to be there.

"Roxas? He's not dying... right?" Cloud's voice became softer.

"N-no... At least... I don't think so. He sounded so urgent on the phone, and..." Roxas paused to run a hand through his hair, "Goddammit, I'm worried. He hasn't been answering back, and I left like, fifteen messages," Roxas started to panic. But somewhere in the back of his mind, he told himself to breathe.

"Roxas..." Cloud sighed. Then he thought about what to say before he said it. He thought really carefully. Then, slowly, his hand reached into his pocket and brought out the keys to his bike. It was a spare bike that was kept in this family ancestral home. But it was his bike nonetheless. Cloud was protective of all his bikes, so in all honesty, Roxas doubted that Cloud would even consider letting him ride it, let alone borrowing it for a few hours.

"Cloud-nii?"

"Take care of it. It's got a few bugs here and there, but it was one of the first ones I've customized, so it's very dear to me. If you bring it back with even a tiny scratch, well... let's just say you wouldn't want to come back," Cloud threatened. Roxas paled. He knew what Cloud was capable of, and he knew that if Cloud was pissed... _Cloud was **pissed**._

"G-got it," Roxas gulped and took the keys from his older brother. Then, sprinting with all his might, and weaving through the crowd as fast as he could, he reached the garage and quickly found the bike. Turning the engine to life, Roxas gently mounted it and sped away.

_Wait for me Sora._

* * *

Sora fell asleep. When he came to, he noticed that it was getting dark outside. He hadn't stepped out of his room, he hadn't eaten anything, and he hadn't even fed the dog. Goofy prodded Sora's thigh, evidently hungry and thirsty. Sighing, Sora knew he had to get up, if not for himself then for the poor puppy. When he opened the door, the light that came through almost blinded him.

Grabbing dog food from the kitchen cabinet, he called for Donald and asked where the bowls were. The butler quickly tended to Sora's wishes and even fed the dog for him. Sora couldn't help but smile slightly. It seemed as though Goofy was very fond of Donald.

"I'll leave him to you for now, I'm... not feeling well," Sora lied.

"Would you like me to prepare chicken soup? Or..."

"No need. Just take care of the dog. I'll be in my room."

"As you wish," the older man bowed and Sora left. He reached his room quite fast and plopped on his bed, not bothering to check his phone. Roxas hadn't been answering so he was probably very busy. But all of a sudden, his phone rang and he frantically scrambled to pick it up.

"Roxas?" He almost yelled into the receiver.

"I'm in front of your house," Roxas hung up and as if on cue, the door bell rang. Rushing to get up, ignoring the head rush that came to him, he practically ran down the stairs to answer the door before anyone else could have.

"Roxas!" Sora exclaimed and he launched himself on the taller boy.

"...I'm sorry I couldn't answer your messages."

Sora didn't say anything. He just wanted to hold him tight. There was no need for words right then. Just his presence was enough to calm him down. And as though his hunger came because he was relieved, his stomach growled loudly.

"Wanna eat?" Sora tried to desperately forget. He tried to act as though nothing was wrong. But it was hard. Eventually he's going to have to tell Roxas what he remembered. He's going to have to talk to him. But for now, he decided, he was going to push the bad thoughts aside and enjoy Roxas being there.

* * *

After they ate, they retreated to Sora's room and Roxas just looked at Sora with serious eyes. He was worried. The boy acted like nothing was wrong, but he knew there was. The messages on his phone were proof. But he didn't seem to want to talk about it. Sighing, Roxas took Sora's hand in his and stared directly at the brunette's eyes.

"Sora... can you tell me what happened?" He asked softly, drawing random patterns on the back of his hand. Sora bit his lip and looked elsewhere.

"Hey... do you want to play some games?" he ignored the question completely.

"Don't change topics. Answer me, please?" Roxas begged. He wanted to know what was wrong. He wanted to know so he could make it better.

"I... I... don't want to talk about it.. right now," Sora sighed.

Roxas did the same and thought before he said something wrong. "Look, you left a bunch of messages on my phone. You sounded urgent, and scared. As someone who loves you very much, I'm worried about you. And,_ because_ I love you so much, I want to know what's wrong so I can help. So please, tell me what's wrong."

Tears threatened to spill when Sora thought about what he remembered. But he didn't cry, he was too strong for that. Mustering up his courage, he took a deep breath before saying, "I remember."

Roxas was confused by the rather cryptic sentence.

"Remember... what exactly?"

"Everything. I... don't know if you do. But... I remember when we were younger... we used to be friends, right?"

Roxas froze. _Shit. This is it isn't it. Fuck. Fuck. Calm down. He's not gonna hate me... Right? He's not ever going to hate_ me...

"Y-yeah, we were..." Roxas didn't even know where he found the courage to produce sound.

"A-and. I... I... These scars..." Sora stared at the fading scars on his wrists.

"I made them..." Sora's voice trembled. He sounded so confused, and afraid. He was beginning to question himself, and even become afraid of himself. Because what else had his memories hidden from him?

"Sora," Roxas started.

"I... did this to myself. And... my parents lied to me," Sora placed his head in his hands.

"I'm sorry."

"For what? You didn't do anything," Sora's voice was muffled by his hands.

"I knew... I've been knowing, for a while now," Roxas gulped. He figured that he may as well tell the truth. Lying would be futile.

"You... what?" Sora took his hands off of his face, eyes wide open.

"I'm so sorry," Roxas pulled, or at least tried to pull, Sora into his arms. But Sora backed away instinctively.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Sora didn't know what to feel. Upset? Angry?

"I... I..." Roxas didn't know what to do. Or what to say. Should he run away? Should he just pretend that Sora hadn't said anything at all? No. That was the absolute worst thing he could do. He can't leave Sora, not at a moment like this. But... he didn't want to stay and talk about it either. It was tearing him apart, but if he left now, it would all be over. And if he stayed... it wouldn't be that much better.

"Roxas, I... need to be alone," Sora said quietly.

"What?" Roxas's eyes widened. No! This... shouldn't happen. He shouldn't leave Sora.

"No, Sora, we need to talk," Roxas blurted out.

"Talk? Talk! Roxas, you pretty much lied to me. Yes, we do need to talk but right now, I'm too... confused to even begin to talk about this. I'm sorry but, please, just, leave me alone!" Sora yelled. Roxas bit his lip but he knew that there was no talking him out of it.

"I don't want to leave you Sora. I love you," but Roxas was desperate.

"I love you too," Sora placed his tired head in his hands. He suddenly felt exhausted, completely deflated. _Yes. I still love you Roxas. And I'm mad and so frustrated but I know that I still love you. God. Why is this happening? _Sora thought.

"We're going to have to talk about this eventually," Roxas sighed.

"I know," Sora muttered. "I know." Sora laid down and curled into a fetal position. He was so distraught. Confused. Upset. At both himself and at Roxas. And he was too tired to tell Roxas to leave again. The blond watched Sora curl into a ball and sighed. Lying next to him, Roxas wrapped his arms around the smaller boy and drew him closer. Roxas's lips were only a few inches away from the back of Sora's neck, and the younger one could feel his breaths tickling his skin.

"Can we just stay like this for now?" Sora's voice sounded like he was crying. It hurt Roxas to hear Sora's sad voice. He never wanted to upset him. The only thing Roxas could do was hold him close in silent agreement.

* * *

They didn't even realize that they fell asleep until they woke up. Xion stood, towering over them with a dark shadow on her facial expression. It was clear that she was upset.

"X-xion, hey," Sora stuttered, still believing that Xion had feelings for Roxas.

"Sora, Roxas," Xion acknowledged.

"Hey," Roxas said groggily.

"We need to talk. All three of us," Xion's eyes narrowed. Roxas didn't know what she was planning, and neither did Sora.

"About what exactly?" Sora gulped. He was hoping this wasn't about him and Roxas breaking up. He had a lot on his mind already and dealing with Xion's supposed feelings, even if she is his sister, wasn't something that Sora prioritized.

Roxas, who knew, or at least had been pretty sure, that Xion was lying that night, not that he remembered much anyway - the alcohol created such a haze that he could only recall things vaguely - hoped that Xion wasn't going to complicate things further.

"Sora, I want you and Roxas to break up," Xion said.

"Because... you're in love with him?" Sora questioned. Pinching the bridge of her nose, Xion sighed and shook her head.

"No. Sorry. That was a lie. I don't know what came over me that night, but no. Hell no. It must've been the alcohol. Anyway. I want you and him to break up because this isn't normal," Xion said.

"What?" Roxas's eyes widened.

"Xion, if I recall correctly, you helped me and Sora get together. And of all people, I figured that_ you_ would accept us for who we are, and not judge us just because our relationship isn't normal!" Roxas could feel the anger rising.

"No. It's not that either," Xion said, sounding desperate.

"Look, it's for Sora's own good okay? The longer he stays with you, the higher are the chances of his getting hurt," she explained. Slowly, Roxas was beginning to understand why she was trying to separate them.

"But, why would I get hurt?" Sora was clueless as to what was going on.

"Xion... if you're worried about that then... it's too late," Roxas sighed. Blushing, Sora sputtered nonsense.

"Wha- Roxas! She's not supposed to know that! That was... that was... my first time and well, yeah it hurt, but... it was Christmas... and..." Sora looked away. Blinking a few times to make sure that he wasn't imagining things, Roxas fought the urge to facepalm.

"Idiot. I wasn't talking about _that_!" Roxas coughed as his own cheeks colored.

"What?" Xion was confused now, then she understood and rolled her eyes. "I don't care about that!"

"Th-then, what were you talking about," Sora looked back at Roxas and Xion.

"He knows now. And I don't know if you know but I know what happened too," Roxas said.

"What?" At first Xion didn't know what the hell Roxas was saying, but she pieced it together and managed to figure it out.

"Oh no. This is exactly what I was trying to prevent!" Xion felt panicked.

"Okay. Now we really need to talk," Xion said before she started pacing. Roxas sighed and looked from Xion to a very confused Sora and tried not to laugh awkwardly at the very compromising, confusing, and exasperating position he was going to be in for the next few hours.

"What exactly is going on right now?" Sora looked from Roxas to Xion, clearly unaware of what the two had been talking about.

"I guess this is it," Roxas sighed.

* * *

**Author's note 2**: Oh god. That was terrible. That was absolutely horrible. I don't even know what happened to this chapter. I'm not satisfied with it at all. But I'm not going to rewrite it because it works. It's fitting to the plot I have in mind. But... I just feel like the execution of this chapter was poor. I'm criticizing my own work... I feel absolutely terrible about this. I'm terribly sorry for the inexplicably long wait, and the overall badness of this chapter. I'm about 78% sure that this chapter could've been way way better.

Ah... I want to beat myself with a stick right now. But what's done is done.


	21. Chapter 20  Epilogue

**A****uthor's Note**: The things that authors write, aren't necessarily how authors are. But it's also true that what they write is an extension of themselves. What I've typed out and shared with you is a love for a fictional couple that is not only improbable, but also very strange, even in the fanfiction world. But all of you have stayed by this story, wrote nice comments, wrote helpful comments, and just made it all the more enjoyable for me as an author to write it.

Now, I don't know if it was my writing skills that made you want to read more, or if it was just the fact that you were dying for Roxas/Sora fics as much as I was, but I do know that your contributions were a great motivator. Each word I read of the reviews, not that I remember all of them, made me smile. Each "hit" or "visit" I saw on the story stats pulled on my heart strings and told me that I need to keep writing. Honestly, you wouldn't know how many times I've wanted to just stop altogether, but each time I've come close, a reviewer, or someone who adds me to their alert list, or adds the story to their alert list, brought me right back to my laptop screen and made me start writing it.

I've seen reviews that said "please write more. Update soon. etc. etc." .(Actually, I've seen a lot of reviews that said "this is so cute/adorable/etc..." but that's beside the point)

So, It's my turn to say something to you (: Thank you. Thank you so so so so much for reading. Thank you so much for reviewing. Thank you so much for adding me or this story to your alert list. Thank you so much for adding me or this story to your favorites. Thank you so much for visiting. Thank you so much for even taking your time to read my abomination of a summary and finding more time to spare in actually reading the story. THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU! :D And so this is it. The last of it. Chapter 20.

* * *

Roxas took a deep breath, trying to figure out what to say before opening his mouth. He didn't want to make things worse because things were already bad as they were.

"Sora, Xion knows about... the past, and Xion, I know about the past, and Sora does too, now," Roxas said, looking from Xion to Sora. Xion's face was indescribable, she didn't know whether to get angry or to be relieved, or to go on a rampage. But she did know that she had to let go of the breath she was holding.

"You told him?" she asked in a quiet voice.

"No... he just remembered," Roxas shook his head. Slowly, Sora was finally understanding what on earth the two had been talking about. And slowly, the rather light-hearted atmosphere started to go away, until it was completely replaced by a very heavy and dark one.

"So... what now?" Xion asked no one in particular. Everything she had worked to prevent, every last thing she did in order for this not to happen, was all meaningless. Sora knew, her plan failed, Roxas knew too, and now, they're both going to get hurt.

"Honestly, I don't know. But... ultimately this is Sora's decision," Roxas looked at Sora, who was staring blankly at the ground. He didn't want to talk about any of this. They can't force him into sorting things out because right now he didn't want to. He didn't want to think about anything related about the past. He just wanted to forget about everything. He wished that his memory would just wipe out, so that he could go back to normal.

"But what in the hell do I have to decide on? I don't know what to do about this as much as you guys, I'm just..." Sora didn't finish his sentence because he didn't know how to. He didn't know what he was anymore.

"Sora, I know you must be so confused right now," Xion began, "But, you have to think carefully. What do you want to happen right now?"

Sora closed his eyes and fought the urge to start screaming in frustration. _Why can't they understand that I don't have a clue as to what I want to happen? Why do I have to make a choice right now? I don't even know what my choices are in the first place!_

Sora inhaled deeply, "What I want right now is to forget. To forget everything."

"But Sora - "

"I know, I can't," Sora cut Roxas off.

"And I know that we have to talk about this sooner or later, but can't it be later? I'm confused, and I don't know what to do. Why does it have to be now?" Sora knew he was being unreasonable. He knew that they had to talk about this because it would be much harder to bring it up if they waited.

"Sora, listen to me, we need to talk about this. Me too, I don't want to talk about this either, but we have to. These things... if we leave them hanging for too long, we won't be able to resolve it. Now is the best time. So -"

"Fine!" Sora cut Xion off this time, "Fine, let's talk! Okay? I knew Roxas when I was younger, he was my best friend in the whole world, but I broke his heart, and in turn, he broke my heart, and I was in shock, and I didn't know what I was doing, and I did this to myself!" Sora held out his arms.

"Then I forgot about everything, and now I understand why _otou-san _hates Roxas, and now I'm _in love _with Roxas, and I don't know what, in the name of all that is holy, I'm supposed to do about this," Sora panted a little bit, "Happy?"

"... It's a start," Xion sighed, this was going to be difficult if they don't get Sora to calm down. "But first, Roxas, please calm him down." Books say that to tell people to calm down isn't the best way to calm them down. It was true. As if the phrase "calm him down" set a trigger, Sora's face turned red and he wanted to burst out and yell, kick and scream. But before he could do so, Roxas placed a hand over his and laced their fingers together. The warmth from Roxas's hand spread like wildfire and managed to calm Sora down.

"Sora," Roxas began slowly, "Let's take this one at a time, okay?" Roxas brought their linked hands to his lips and gave Sora's a kiss.

Sora nodded and mumbled an "okay."

"So," Xion said, "I still think that you two shouldn't be together."

"Why?"

"Look at this. Look at him. Look at all the pain it's causing him! Not to mention your pain! This relationship is just too painful that it's making me hurt to watch you two."

What Xion said was the truth, but at the same time, it wasn't. Yes, it was painful, yes it was confusing, and yes it was wrong in so many different ways. But it was also fun, and wonderful, and amazing, and it felt so undeniably _right _to be in each other's arms.

Sora, who had been quiet after his outburst, looked up at Xion and said, "Xion-nee... I... can you leave me and Roxas alone to deal with this?"

Xion was taken aback. She hadn't expected that. But then again, she should have. This was more to do with them than it was with her. And in all honesty, she was kind of nosy, and she probably shouldn't have been. Deciding that it probably would be best, not to mention polite, to leave, she gave both of them a reluctant smile, content that they're trying to sort it out without the intent of hurting each other. But, she was still worried. Because even if one didn't mean it, the chances of getting hurt are pretty high.

"Okay. Just call me when you're done. I've said my opinion, and... well, I can't really do much anymore. It's all out in the open anyway. All that's left is for you two to settle it," when she realized that her plan had failed and ultimately backfired, she realized that she really had very little control over this particular situation in the first place. She had no choice but to leave it up to them and just hope that whatever they choose to do, they wouldn't regret it.

* * *

The door closed gently and the silence that settled in the room was growing more and more unbearable with each passing second.

"I-" They both spoke at the same time.

"I think you should go first-"

"No, you-"

"Okay... this isn't working," Roxas sighed.

"Right, well, one at a time then," Sora smiled slightly.

"So, you first," Roxas offered.

"No-" Sora was about to protest when Roxas gave him a stern look. Sighing, Sora knew that it would go nowhere if he declined so he might as well go first. "Okay."

"I was thinking... maybe... Maybe this shouldn't really affect us," Sora said.

"What? What do you mean? It's already affected us," Roxas scrunched his eyebrows.

"What I mean is, yeah, it already _affected _us, meaning, it already happened. Maybe... maybe we shouldn't dwell on the past." said Sora.

"But Sora..." Roxas licked his dry lips and swallowed, "I.. It's not fair. Yes, I was hurt too, but... You were traumatized. To the point where you didn't remember me at all."

"You didn't remember me either."

"Well, yes and no," Roxas said.

"Huh?"

"I didn't know who you actually were.. I was just sure that you've done something to upset me when we were younger, and I kind of... despised you for it. But, when I remembered what really happened, I felt terrible. And I think I was also starting to fall for you. And so I got confused and... well... I figured out that my feelings for you were what mattered so... yeah..."

"I... don't know what to say."

"It's okay. That wasn't entirely important to the situation anyway. But, I think I should apologize for being mad at you for the longest time and never bothering to find out why I was so mad in the first place."

"Goddammit now I'm all confused again," Sora placed his face in his hands.

"I'm sorry."

"No, it's not your fault. It's just... I just started to think about what would have happened if the past hadn't happened. Would I still have fallen for you? Would we still be... together?" Sora lifted his head.

"That... I don't know," Roxas shook his head.

"Yeah... well, I don't know either."

"But I do know that I love you. But, if it's too hard for you to be in a relationship with me -"

"Stop! Don't you dare," Sora pointed his finger at Roxas.

"I'm just saying that -"

"No, okay. No. I do not want to break up with you. Ever." Sora had a determined look on his face.

"But -"

"Goddammit Roxas, stop it. We're not breaking up over this. I love you too much for that. We're not going to break up," Sora almost fumed, but then a realization hit him, "Not unless..."

"Not unless?" Roxas asked.

"Not unless you want to break up -"

"That's ridiculous!" Roxas interrupted.

"Well then stop saying 'but', it makes it seem like you're really pushing for us to -"

"I said no. Alright? I don't want us to break up either," Roxas sighed. "But just hear me out."

"... Okay," Sora gave in.

"I understand why Xion wants to separate us. She's protecting you. And me, I guess. She doesn't want to see you hurt, because what if somewhere down the road I end up hurting you, or vice versa, now that you know what really happened, maybe..." Roxas trailed off.

"Maybe?" Sora asked for Roxas to go on.

"Maybe what would happen to either of us might be worse than... that," Roxas gestured to Sora's scarred wrists.

"..." Sora didn't know what to say.

"Maybe... I have some sort of psychological illness," Sora mused half-jokingly and half-seriously. Roxas's brows furrowed.

"That's not something to joke about Sora," said Roxas.

"Well, I'm kinda being serious. I mean, what six year old will do this to himself?" Sora sounded worried.

"Stop it, you're perfectly normal," Roxas hugged Sora close.

"No, really, why did I -"

"Okay, that's it, I'm coming in," Xion announced before barging in.

"Xion-nee?" Sora was startled, as was Roxas, at the sudden intrusion.

"I said I was gonna let you talk this out among yourselves but clearly this isn't going in the direction either of us want it to go," Xion clapped her hands together.

"Xion -" Roxas tried to say something but he was shushed by Xion's palm.

"Let's not talk about the past anymore okay?" she said.

"Why, there's still some things I want to talk -"

"Alright, let's talk about something else, shall we?"

"Xion... you're hiding something," Roxas looked at her sternly. Xion's expression faltered slightly.

"N-no I'm not."

"Xion-nee, please, if you know something else just tell us, it's all out on the table anyway, any other secrets might as well be revealed."

"I'm not hiding anything!" Xion said defensively.

"You are too!" Roxas said accusingly.

"... Alright. Yes, there is something else."

"Let's hear it," Sora swallowed hoping that whatever it was, it won't complicate things further.

"Okaa-san and Otou-san didn't really have a very good relationship. They tried to hide it from us when we were younger and... well, eventually me and Squall-nii figured it out. I'm actually surprised that they made it as far as now before finally exploding and getting a divorce," Xion paused.

"I guess that's partly my fault," Roxas said.

"Well, yeah. I mean, when Sora was in the... incident, they blamed you. They didn't at all consider the fact that Sora had been lonely and starting to notice that 'okaa-chan' and 'otou-chan' got into fights. It was the only way that they could live with themselves without the guilt.

"When Roxas showed up here again, Otou-san was angry. It was the last straw and well, Okaa-san felt the same way. It brought back memories of their failure with Sora when he was younger, and they were putting the blame on each other instead of just blaming it on Roxas,

"I'm sure that right now, Sora already knows that our parents practically hate each other. Obviously, since they got a divorce. But back then, it came as a shock. As it did to all of us. He was afraid that 'otou-chan' would leave him. And when -"

"And when I said I didn't want to be friends anymore, he didn't want me to leave him either," Roxas finished for Xion.

"I'm assuming so. I don't think Sora has a psychological problem, but, I still don't understand why..." she trailed off and looked at Sora, who was looking at his own wrists.

"Honestly, I'm still not so sure either. Maybe the sadness was just too much to bear," he said. "I don't really care much about Otou-san now. Just as long as Okaa-san is alright, and she doesn't hurt any of us then it's fine... I feel bad for Marlene though. She has no idea about what's going on."

"She's young, she lives in her own happy world. We're not in the right place to ruin that. Besides, up until just some months ago, you had no clue either," Xion said.

"Well, I forgot. I forgot about everything. It's like, when they took me to the hospital, they pushed a reset button or something," Sora said and suddenly fell silent.

"Sora, are you alright?" Roxas, who was still hugging Sora, gently nudged his shoulder.

"Yeah... I think so. There's really nothing I can do anymore. I don't want to be angry at anyone. I don't want to be sad. And yes, I want to forget but... there's no way I can do that. But I'm tired of all this," Sora sighed.

"I'm sorry," Roxas apologized. "For everything."

"Yeah, me too," said Xion.

"No, don't apologize. It's not anyone's fault. Not even Otou-san or Okaa-san are at fault. It's just what happened. And we can't really change the past. Like I said, they pushed a reset button. Though I now know everything that I did before, it doesn't matter, because this me right now is the real me." And Sora finally figured out exactly who he _was _but that person, wasn't who he was now.

"I'm Sora Leonhart. A sophomore who, thanks to my wonderful boyfriend, isn't failing and is able to continue to play on the Blitzball team. I have an awesome older brother, a peculiar but loving older sister, and a very cute little sister. I have a lot of friends, made a lot of new friends, and I'm madly in love with Roxas."

"The past me is someone I don't know. Someone whose feelings and thoughts and antics I don't understand, nor do I fully remember. So, will it be alright for me to say that the past me, isn't the real me?" Sora looked at Roxas, the most important person in his life, for approval. Roxas smiled and nodded.

"Yes. Definitely."

"Perfect. Then this issue is resolved," Sora grinned. Xion couldn't help but smile as well.

"Thank god."

**Epilogue **(because if it ends here then this chapter may seem like it's too short ;D)

School was over, and Sora was having an end of the year party in his house. Last year, the huge house would have been packed with many people, most of which Sora didn't know in a personal level, all in the inner circle of the social hierarchy of the high school. This year however, the house only had a few people, most of which Sora just met this year, but became increasingly attached to each time they hung out.

The adults were in the dining room, which, thankfully to those who weren't as fortune-laden as the Leonhart family, was modestly decorated and even had plastic cups and paper plates for a very casual early dinner. Donald was busy preparing the plates to serve when Sora's mother entered carrying Goofy in her hands.

"Ah, Ma'am," Donald bowed.

"Will you please tell me what this dog is doing in my house?" she asked.

"It's... Sora's dog, ma'am, Roxas gave it to him," Donald explained, afraid that she would be angry at them.

"... Ah well, whatever, just make sure he doesn't pee on the carpet, and take care of him. He's a mischievous little creature," she said as she sat down next to her oldest child.

"But he grows on you," Donald laughed.

"...That he does," she smiled and sipped at her cocktail and engaged in a conversation with the other adults in the room.

Meanwhile...

"It's really such an honor to meet you, Mr. Strife," Leon practically gushed. Tifa giggled and winked at Cloud. Cloud's face colored slightly.

"Please, just call me Cloud," he smiled.

"W-well then, Cloud," it was as if it were the most difficult thing to call a person, "It really is an honor to meet you."

"I'm not really that amazing," Cloud said.

"You're a person I look up to, in all honesty."

"The youngest president of the Strife company, who started from the bottom when he could have immediately just taken the job," Tifa cut into the conversation.

"Will you stop it?" Cloud whispered at her. She only giggled more.

"Exactly!" Leon exclaimed. Then he calmed down upon seeing the slightly troubled look on Cloud's face.

"U-uh... Sorry," he cleared his throat, "This probably isn't the best place to talk about it."

"N-no, it's quite alright, it's just... kinda awkward talking to my brother's... boyfriend's brother," Cloud said slowly, trying to hide his embarrassment.

"Y-yeah..." Leon was in the same predicament. Tifa couldn't help herself from bursting out laughing.

"You two are so adorable. I swear, if Cloud wasn't already mine I'd definitely want you two together," She practically squealed.

"Tifa!" Cloud blushed. Leon covered his mouth and looked away, but the red stain on his cheeks were visible.

"Ah, but, I should probably stop, don't want to give you any ideas," Tifa teased.

"Seriously, cut it out!" this only made Tifa clutch her sides and laugh harder. Cloud pinched the bridge of his nose.

"S-sorry, alright, alright, I'll stop," Tifa said between pants.

* * *

"Yay! Sora-nii and Roxas-nii look so happy together!" Marlene cheered from the stairs with Denzel, spying at the high school party down below. Since they were too young, they weren't allowed to hang out with the older kids. Or so they were told by Sora, in all honesty, they just didn't want any interruptions.

"Yeah," said Denzel.

"Uhuh, and they'll get married and have kids and live happily ever after," she grinned.

"Uh... Marlene, I don't think that that's..." Denzel sighed at the confused look on her face, and then shook his head, "Nevermind."

* * *

Namine watched Axel and Demyx wrestle each other on the ground to see who would get the Wiimote for this round of Super Smash Bros. She shook her head and laughed when Axel got Demyx pinned underneath him and the girls(Olette and Selphie) started to cheer.

"Wooh! Go Axel!" She cheered for her boyfriend.

"Stupid idiots," Xion muttered under her breath and shook her head too. Then she looked at Sora, who was sitting in between Roxas's legs with his back against Roxas's chest in one of the couches.

"Don't worry, they'll be alright," Namine caught the worried look in her face.

"I'm not worried," Xion scoffed.

"Riiiight," Namine rolled her eyes.

"Well... whatever!"

* * *

Riku was playing and dominating in their little Super Smash Bros. tournament. But, when Sora decided that he wanted to play too, he started to lose. Not intentionally, which was hurting his pride. So he opted to give the controller to Selphie, claiming that he was getting bored and it was too easy. Everyone rolled their eyes and Riku only laughed.

It wasn't long until Selphie started to own everyone else. Sweatdropping a bit at the intensity of her game playing stature, he silently thanked the universe that he didn't have to play against her. Getting somewhat tired of the scenery in front of him, his eyes started to wander.

He saw a figure flicker past the window, and his green orbs narrowed in suspicion. Standing up, making sure that no one noticed him get up, he walked toward the window and looked through it. And he saw it. He unlocked the door and quietly slipped out.

He crouched so that he wouldn't be seen through the window, and grabbed the arm of the person he had seen through the tinted glass.

"Kairi."

"R-riku! H-hey! What's up? Fancy seeing you here!" Kairi stammered.

"Kairi. What in the hell are you doing down here?" Riku asked.

"W-well... I heard Sora was having a party and... well. I wanted to apologize," Kairi looked at the grass they were stepping on.

"And you decide to spy from the window?" Riku raised a brow.

"I don't know who's in there. I don't want them to think badly of me or something..."

"I think it's too late for that," Riku sighed.

"I know. And that's why I want to apologize. I've been... a very bad person," Kairi said quietly. Riku raised his brow again.

"Okay, I've been a bitch. To everyone. And I'm really sorry about it. Can... can you get Sora to come out here? I kinda want to talk to him first," she said.

"... I'll see what I can do," Riku's guard went down. It seemed as though she was genuine in her desire to apologize. He decided to give her a chance. At least it was Riku that found her instead of Namine. If it were Namine, who already didn't really like her in the first place, even before the mean things she did to Sora and Roxas, that saw her out there, Namine would have gone off on her.

"Thank you, Riku," Kairi looked as though she wanted to cry. And she did, but she wanted to cry in relief. Because at least Riku still gave her a chance.

* * *

"Hey Sora, can I talk to you outside?" Riku asked. Roxas looked up, and seemed as though he wanted to go too. "Alone," Riku added. Sora looked at Roxas and smiled, indicating that he'd be fine going alone. Roxas nodded and smiled too.

"You can play for me while I'm gone," Sora kissed Roxas's cheek and stood up.

"Alright," Roxas rolled his eyes. Sora followed Riku outside and the game continued.

"Alright you guys! Prepare to be owned," Roxas grinned.

"In your dreams, pretty boy," Selphie laughed.

"I'd like to see you try and beat me, Roxas," Axel taunted.

"Psh... I could beat you with my eyes closed," Namine teased Axel.

"That's 'cause I let you," Axel patted her cheek.

"Oh we'll see about that, Zexion, get me a blindfold," Namine said.

"Ooh," Larxene laughed.

"I'll be cheering you both on, Selphie, Namine," Olette yelled, sitting Hayner's lap.

"Yeah, I wanna see some girl power action seriously beat the shit out of some male ass," Larxene smiled sadistically. Zexion looked up from his book and sighed.

"I don't have a blindfold Namine," he said.

"Oh! Oh! I do!" Demyx yelled enthusiastically.

"Well hurry up and put it on me!" Namine ordered.

"Hai, hai!"

"Prepare to meet your worst nightmare," Namine laughed evilly. Xion and Pence sat on the side with sweatdrops on the back of their heads.

"I wonder if the juice had alcohol in it," Pence scratched the side of his face.

"Nah... this is just their usual selves. You'd think we'd be used to it by now, after knowing them for such a long time," Xion laughed.

"Well, we haven't really hung out together in a long time... A lot has happened over the past year," Pence noted. "It really surprised me when you guys told the rest of us about everything. I mean, we had our suspicions... but we didn't really know."

"Yeah... But, well, even after everything, we're still all friends," Xion smiled, "It's really funny how friendship works."

"Yup."

* * *

Sora stepped outside and looked at Riku curiously. "Is there something wrong?" he asked.

"Uh... well, someone wanted to talk to you," Riku pointed toward the bushes near the window and Sora saw Kairi crouching low beside them.

"Kairi..."

"Hey, Sora," Kairi waved.

"What... are you doing here?" Sora bit his lip, he felt uncomfortable. He didn't want to talk to her.

"I'm gonna leave you two alone," Riku said.

"No, wait," Sora called out, "Don't go."

"... It's alright Riku, you could stay. I understand that Sora might feel awkward talking to me by himself. And besides, I think you should hear what I'm about to say anyway," Kairi stood up and walked toward them.

"First of all, I want to say I'm so sorry. To both of you... No. To everyone that I may have hurt. I'm sorry that I was being a jealous bitch. And... while I can't say I'm not hurt by Roxas's and Sora's relationship, and say that I fully approve of it, I can say that I'm willing to let my own frustrations and problems go.

"I'm really sorry about everything that I've done, and everything that may have happened because of me and my foolishness. I really do love you Sora. And I thought..." she laughed bitterly, trying to fight the tears, "That if I can't have you... then no one can."

"I was really hurt that you didn't like me back, and I was shocked to find out that you were attracted to Roxas. And it caused me to do so many terrible and embarrassing things to both myself and to you and to Riku and to Selphie. You guys are my closest friends. And I'm not saying that you guys should take me back, I'm just asking for your forgiveness...

"Or if you really can't do that... then at least accept my apology. I'm deeply sorry for my stupidity and jealous actions," Kairi bowed low.

"Kairi..." Sora's tense body relaxed and he let go of a breath he didn't know he was holding in.

"Kairi," Riku did the same as Sora.

"I'm... glad," Sora smiled, with tears shining in his eyes. "Raise your head, Kairi."

"Sora?" She asked when she returned to her normal posture.

"I'm glad that you don't hate me," Sora took a step towards her.

"I've known you for a long time, both you and Riku. You two are my best friends, and... I accept your apology." Sora hugged her.

She cried in his chest and Riku scratched the back of his neck. Kairi raised her face and smiled at Riku, "Do you forgive me too?"

"Well, if Sora does then," Riku grinned, "Of course I forgive you."

"Aww, get in here Riku!" Sora laughed. And the three of them had their mini moment.

"Kairi," Sora said after a while.

"Yeah?"

"I think you should apologize to everyone else."

"Yeah, me too," said Riku.

"... Okay."

* * *

"Hey you guys, can you stop playing just for a bit?" Riku opened the door and came in.

"Aww! But I'm winning!" Namine, who couldn't see a thing, who surprisingly really was winning, pouted.

"Yes, please, thank you," Axel said quickly with what little of his manhood and dignity he had left.

"Alright," Selphie, who thought she was winning, sighed and let go of the controller. Roxas was just worried that something had happened to Sora.

"There's someone here who wanted to say something to everyone," Sora came in.

"Uhm... Hi, everyone," Kairi waved. Everyone's breath collectively hitched in their throats and eyes narrowed at the sight of her.

"Look, before any of you start to... well, go off on me. First I want to say that I'm terribly sorry for all the trouble I may have caused you," she said.

"I was stupid and jealous. And I hurt my very best friends, she looked at Selphie, who didn't want to meet her eyes. And most importantly, I hurt people who I didn't even know. I was a horrible person, and I deserve probably every singly dirty comment that's in your heads at the moment.

"I'm not expecting for all of you to accept my apologies and forgive me. I just wanted you all to know how much I regret my actions." Kairi bowed low for the second time. Everyone was still reluctant.

"You guys... if it made any difference, I forgive Kairi," Sora stepped up.

"Sora, you don't have to -" Kairi was cut off.

"Yes, I do have to. You're one of my best friends, and these guys are my new friends. I want them to -"

"It's alright, Sora," she cut him off that time.

"Kairi... I... forgive you," Selphie was the first to speak up. "You are one of my best girl friends. If not _the _best girl friend. I miss you Kai," Selphie was sniffling.

"Selphie... I miss you too Selph!" she ran to her friend and hugged her. Namine sighed.

"I will only forgive you if both Sora and Roxas forgive you," she said.

"Same here," said Xion.

"Well then that's the same for all of us then," Axel spoke for the rest of them. They all looked at Roxas, who in turn looked at Sora. Sora gave him a small smile.

"I..." Roxas stood up. "Don't like it that you did all that to your best friend just because he didn't like you back. But I'm not really one to talk. I've probably hurt Sora more than anyone else in this room. And for you," he looked at Kairi, "it might seem unfair that, after all the shit that happened between Sora and I, we're still together.

"I'm willing to accept your apology. But only if you forgive me for stealing Sora's heart before you had the chance to," Roxas grinned and held out a hand to Kairi. Kairi's lips twitched in hesitation, but eventually, she caved and accepted the hand that reached out to her.

"Alright, well that's that," Roxas turned toward his friends. They all smiled at him and welcomed Kairi into their group.

* * *

Later that night, when everyone was already passed out on the floor, Sora was still awake, playing wit Goofy's ears.

"Sora?" Roxas asked in the dark, scaring Sora quite a bit.

"Roxas, don't just randomly pop out of nowhere," Sora breathed deeply.

"Ah, sorry, I guess my friends are contagious," Roxas laughed.

"What?" Sora laughed too.

"Nothing, nevermind. What are you still doing up?"

"...Can you believe everything that has happened over the past year?" Sora looked up at the stars through the window.

"No, but I'm really glad it did. Well... some more than others," Roxas admitted.

"Same here. But if all of that hadn't happened. We wouldn't have met," Sora turned to Roxas. Roxas scooted closer and leaned against Sora's shoulder.

"Yeah," said Roxas. And Sora rested his head on Roxas's

"I love you Roxas."

"Love you too, Sora."

"Promise me we'll never stop loving each other," Sora raised his pinky towards Roxas.

"I promise that I will never, ever stop loving you. The best thing that has ever happened to me," Roxas interlocked his pinky with Sora's.

"Seal it with a kiss?" Roxas joked.

"You're so cheesy," Sora laughed.

"But you know you like it," Roxas leaned in and trapped Sora's lips against his. When they broke apart, they kept their faces close, foreheads touching.

"Yes. I really do."

* * *

**Author's note 2:** The new layout of ff is bothering me. Everything's so thin. O-O.

Aww, well there it is. Over five thousand words, according to ff's word counter (which I don't think is entirely accurate). Each chapter so far has been about 3,000 or so words, (according to ff's word counter again), So I can say that this chapter, and the very first chapter, are the longest chapters of the story. I'm very sorry that it took too long for me to update. But school kept me busy. This had been so wonderful a journey. It's 10:30 pm, and I'm really hungry. Imma go make myself some tamagoyaki. Today was such a good day. I got my permit, and I finished my first multi-chap.

I love all of you. Reviews are welcome. Constructive criticism, random flailing, or whatever that enters your minds. I did this for you guys(well, actually, I did it mostly for me... jk). I'm gonna miss the feeling of uneasiness after a very long time of not updating this story. I'm gonna miss coming up with random plots in the bathroom. I'm gonna miss feeling really stupid after reading and finding out I made a mistake after I posted it. I'm gonna miss this so much.

So again, Thank You. Thank You. A million times, thank you!

Much Love,

No Dang Name is Available(don't you just love my pen name ;])

Oh and what's this? An **omake**?

* * *

"Pay up," Ansem the Wise sat on his chair behind his desk in the Principal's office. Coach Wakka dejectedly reached for his wallet in his back pocket and coughed out three thousand munny.

"Who'da thunk that my star athlete would fall for the smart-ass kid who should've been on my team too," Wakka shook his head.

"I told you not to make this bet, Wakka," Marluxia rolled his eyes.

"You don't make bets with Ansem the Wise, he knows... _everything_," Lexaeus said with his arms crossed.

"Yeah... _everything,_" Ansem grinned evilly while counting the munny in his hands.


End file.
